Partnerships
A Partnership connects your AS2 Instance with a Trading Partner and defines how messages are exchanged, including encryption, signing, and delivery receipt settings.
Creating a Partnership
Partnerships are created from within your AS2 Instance. Follow these steps:
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Step 1: Go to AS2 Instances
Navigate to the AS2 Instances tab and click on the instance you want to create a partnership for.
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Step 2: Open Edit AS2 Page
This opens the Edit AS2 page where you can view and modify your instance details.
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Step 3: Click the + Button
In the Related Partnership section at the bottom, click the + button to create a new partnership.
Creating partnerships from the AS2 Instance page automatically links your instance to the partnership, ensuring the correct "my_as2" is pre-selected.
Partnership Configuration
After clicking the + button, you'll see the Create Partnership form with the following sections:
Your AS2 Instance (Pre-filled)
The my_as2 field is automatically populated with your AS2 instance details since you're creating the partnership from the Edit AS2 page.
Select Trading Partner
Choose your trading partner from the partner_as2 dropdown. The partner's details (name, alias, email) will auto-fill once selected.
Configure Settings
| Field | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
as2_url |
Yes | The partner's AS2 endpoint URL where messages will be sent |
encrypt |
Yes | Encryption algorithm: 3des, aes128, aes192, aes256, cast5, rc2_cdc |
sign |
Yes | Signing algorithm: sha1, sha224, sha256, sha384, sha512, md2, md5 |
subject |
Yes | The "Subject" HTTP header included in AS2 messages. Supports dynamic parameter substitution using $...$ syntax. See Subject Field Syntax below. |
as2MdnTo |
Yes | Email address for MDN (delivery receipt) notifications |
contentTransferEncoding |
Yes | Content encoding: binary (recommended) or base64 |
certificate |
No | Associate a certificate with this partnership. You can create one directly from the "Create" link on this page, or manage certificates from the Certificates page. |
Security Recommendations
| Setting | Options | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|
encrypt |
3des, aes128, aes192, aes256, cast5, rc2_cdc | aes256 for new partnerships |
sign |
sha1, sha224, sha256, sha384, sha512, md2, md5 | sha256 or higher |
contentTransferEncoding |
binary, base64 | binary (more efficient) |
Always verify encryption and signing requirements with your trading partner. Some partners (like Amazon, Walmart) require specific algorithms for compliance.
Subject Field Syntax
The subject field is used as the "Subject" HTTP header when sending AS2 messages. It supports dynamic parameter substitution that gets resolved at send time.
Basic Syntax
Parameters are enclosed between $ delimiters using the format:
$area.property$Available Parameters
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
$sender.as2_id$ |
Sender's AS2 ID |
$sender.name$ |
Sender's name |
$sender.email$ |
Sender's email address |
$receiver.as2_id$ |
Receiver's AS2 ID |
$receiver.name$ |
Receiver's name |
$receiver.email$ |
Receiver's email address |
$attributes.filename$ |
Name of the file being sent |
$headers.message-id$ |
Unique message ID |
Examples
| Subject Template | Result (at send time) |
|---|---|
AS2 Message from $sender.as2_id$ to $receiver.as2_id$ |
AS2 Message from mycompany to amazon |
EDI File: $attributes.filename$ |
EDI File: invoice_12345.edi |
$sender.name$ - $attributes.filename$ |
My Company - invoice_12345.edi |
When creating a new partnership, the subject field is automatically populated with: AS2 Message from {myAs2Id} to {partnerAs2Id}. You can customize it using the dynamic $...$ placeholders above.
To include a literal $ character in your subject, use $$. For example: Price is $$100 becomes "Price is $100".
Your Endpoint URI
Click Copy Endpoint URI in the partnership form to get your AS2 endpoint URL. Share this with your trading partner so they can send messages to you: