# Creating and updating customers Once you [define a customer](#defining-a-customer), you can [create a customer object](#creating-a-customer) and then [associate the object with checkouts](/digital-river-api/integration-options/checkouts/creating-checkouts/using-the-checkout-identifier.md#registered-checkouts-or-invoices). Once the object is created, you can [save one or more payment sources](/digital-river-api/payments/payment-sources/using-the-source-identifier.md#attaching-sources-to-customers) to a customer as well as [set a customer's default payment source](#default-payment-source). ![](/files/-Mbb6a-KkodgBTztQvuN) ## Defining a customer The following provides guidance on how to define a customer. For complete specifications, refer to the [Checkouts API](https://docs.digitalriver.com/digital-river-api-reference/2021-12-13/checkouts) reference documentation. ### Unique identifier A customers `id` must be forty characters or less in length. Anything longer and a `400 Bad Request` with a `code` of `invalid_parameter` is returned. We recommend that a customer's identifier be identical in both your and our systems. If you don't provide us an `id` value in the create customer request, we generate one for you and return it in the response. ### Email The `email` parameter represents a customer's email address. You can create multiple customers in your account that contain identical `email` values. ### Shipping address You can use `shipping` to store a customer's `name`, `phone`, `email`, `organization`, basic ship to `address`, and detailed ship to `additionalAddressInfo`. ### Tax identifiers and certificates Every customer can store one or more [tax identifiers](/digital-river-api/customer-management/setting-tax-related-attributes.md#tax-identifiers) and [tax certificates](/digital-river-api/customer-management/setting-tax-related-attributes.md#tax-certificates). ### Locale A customer's `locale` is used to [localize invoices and credit memos](/digital-river-api/integration-options/checkouts/creating-checkouts/designating-a-locale.md). ### Customer type A customer's `type` allows you to [differentiate between business and individual customers](/digital-river-api/customer-management/setting-tax-related-attributes.md#setting-the-customer-type). ### Enabling a customer If you set a customer's `enabled` flag to `false`, then any attempts to create orders that reference this customer will fail. You should only set `enabled` to `false` when you want to block a customer from placing orders. For example, you may decide this is necessary when a customer has a history of fraudulent behavior. ### Default payment source The `defaultSourceId` should reference a [source](/digital-river-api/payments/payment-sources.md) that customers have indicated is their default payment instrument. For more information, refer to [setting the default payment source](/digital-river-api/payments/payment-sources/using-the-source-identifier.md#setting-the-default-payment-source) on the [Managing sources](/digital-river-api/payments/payment-sources/using-the-source-identifier.md) page. ### Request to be forgotten When you [update customer](https://docs.digitalriver.com/digital-river-api-reference/2021-12-13/customers#customers-id-1) requests, you can use `requestToBeForgotten` to instruct Digital River to delete a customer's data from our system. For more information, refer to the [Recording a customer's request to be forgotten](/digital-river-api/administration/dashboard/customers/removing-a-customers-personal-information.md) page. ## Creating a customer The process of creating and updating a customer is similar. In a [create customer request](https://www.digitalriver.com/docs/digital-river-api-reference/#operation/createCustomers), you can specify the object's unique identifier. However, when [updating a customer](https://docs.digitalriver.com/digital-river-api-reference/2021-12-13/customers#customers-id-1), you must pass in this unique identifier as a path parameter. Updating a customer's request also allows you to [record a customer's right to be forgotten](#request-to-be-forgotten). The following `POST/customers` request specifies a unique `id`: {% tabs %} {% tab title="POST/customers" %} ``` curl --location --request POST 'https://api.digitalriver.com/customers' \ --header 'Content-Type: application/json' \ --header 'Authorization: Bearer ' \ --data-raw '{ "id": "5823594806", "email": "jsmith@digitalriver.com", "shipping": { "address": { "line1": "10380 Bren Rd W", "line2": "string", "city": "Minnetonka", "postalCode": "55129", "state": "MN", "country": "US" }, "name": "John Smith", "phone": "952-111-1111", "email": "jsmith@digitalriver.com", "organization": "Digital River" }, "type": "individual", "metadata": { "coupon": "iOS" }, "locale": "en_US", "enabled": true }' ``` {% endtab %} {% endtabs %} A successful request returns a `201 Created` whose payload contains a customer object: {% tabs %} {% tab title="201 Created" %} ```javascript { "id": "5823594809", "createdTime": "2020-05-06T22:28:01Z", "email": "jsmith@digitalriver.com", "shipping": { "address": { "line1": "10380 Bren Rd W", "city": "Minnetonka", "postalCode": "55129", "state": "MN", "country": "US" }, "phone": "952-111-1111", "email": "jsmith@digitalriver.com" }, "enabled": true, "requestToBeForgotten": false, "locale": "en_US", "type": "individual", "liveMode": false } ``` {% endtab %} {% endtabs %} Once you create a customer, you can reference this object in [registered checkouts](/digital-river-api/integration-options/checkouts/creating-checkouts/using-the-checkout-identifier.md#registered-checkouts-or-invoices). --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.digitalriver.com/digital-river-api/customer-management/creating-a-customer.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.