---
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title: General Guidance
collection: developer
version: current
locale: en-us
portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/developer/current/en-us/commerce-cloud/commerce-api/guides/general-guidance.md
canonical_url: https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/commerce/pwa-kit-managed-runtime/guide/general-guidance.html
source_site: developer.salesforce.com
content_type: documentation
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products:
  - Composable Storefront
  - Salesforce APIs
---
# General Guidance

This section contains guidance for functionality that applies across multiple B2C Commerce APIs (SCAPI). Use it as a starting point to find the cross-cutting topics most relevant to your implementation.

## Authentication & Authorization

- [Authorization Overview](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/commerce/pwa-kit-managed-runtime/guide/authorization.md) — How SCAPI client permissions work.
- [Authorization for Shopper APIs](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/commerce/pwa-kit-managed-runtime/guide/authorization-for-shopper-apis.md) — Set up SLAS clients for storefront access.
- [Authorization for Admin APIs](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/commerce/pwa-kit-managed-runtime/guide/authorization-for-admin-apis.md) — Set up Account Manager clients for backend access.
- [Authorization Scopes Catalog](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/commerce/pwa-kit-managed-runtime/guide/auth-z-scope-catalog.md) — Complete list of available scopes.
- [SLAS Overview](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/commerce/pwa-kit-managed-runtime/guide/slas.md) — Grant types, token types, and advanced SLAS topics.

## Extensibility

- [Customization with Hooks](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/commerce/pwa-kit-managed-runtime/guide/extensibility_via_hooks.md) — Alter and extend Shopper API behavior using the Script API.
- [Hook Method Details](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/commerce/pwa-kit-managed-runtime/guide/hook-method-details.md) — Available hooks with method signatures.
- [Custom APIs](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/commerce/pwa-kit-managed-runtime/guide/custom-apis.md) — Build custom REST endpoints under the SCAPI framework.

## Caching & Performance

- [SCAPI Caching](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/commerce/pwa-kit-managed-runtime/guide/server-side-web-tier-caching.md) — Which APIs are cached, TTLs, and personalization settings.
- [Shopper API Performance and Best Practices](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/commerce/pwa-kit-managed-runtime/guide/performance.md) — Optimize response times for hooks, Custom APIs, and catalog size.

## Personalization

- [Shopper Context](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/commerce/pwa-kit-managed-runtime/guide/shopper-context-api.md) — Set context information to retrieve personalized promotions, payment methods, and shipping methods.
- [Shopper Context Best Practices](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/commerce/pwa-kit-managed-runtime/guide/shopper-context-best-practices.md) — Guidelines for using Shopper Context effectively.

## Error Handling & Troubleshooting

- [HTTP Status Codes and Errors](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/commerce/pwa-kit-managed-runtime/guide/error-response-codes.md) — Common error messages, error response format, and best practices.
- [Timeouts and Limits](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/commerce/pwa-kit-managed-runtime/guide/timeouts-limits.md) — Default timeout values and request/response size constraints.
- [Load Shedding and Rate Limiting](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/commerce/pwa-kit-managed-runtime/guide/throttle-rates.md) — Rate limits per API family.
- [Troubleshoot Request Timeouts](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/commerce/pwa-kit-managed-runtime/guide/timeout-troubleshoot.md) — Diagnose and resolve timeout issues.
- [View SCAPI Logs and Track Requests](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/commerce/pwa-kit-managed-runtime/guide/scapi-logs-request-tracking.md) — Use correlation IDs and Log Center.

## Working with Baskets & Orders

- [Build Baskets and Place Orders](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/commerce/pwa-kit-managed-runtime/guide/work-with-baskets-orders.md) — End-to-end checkout flow with code examples.
- [Hybrid Storefront Best Practices for Working with Baskets](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/commerce/pwa-kit-managed-runtime/guide/hybrid-storefront-baskets.md) — Best practices for hybrid SFRA/headless deployments.
- [Coupons, Gift Certificates, and Bonus Products](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/commerce/pwa-kit-managed-runtime/guide/coupons-giftcerts-bonus-products.md) — Promotional features in basket flows.

## Request Formatting

- [Base URL and Request Formation](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/commerce/pwa-kit-managed-runtime/guide/base-url.md) — How to construct well-formed API requests.
- [Property Selection](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/commerce/pwa-kit-managed-runtime/guide/scapi-property-selection.md) — Select specific attributes of the response to return.
- [URL Encoding of Special Characters](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/commerce/pwa-kit-managed-runtime/guide/url-encode.md) — Double-encode special characters in resource identifiers.
- [Custom Properties](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/commerce/pwa-kit-managed-runtime/guide/custom-properties.md) — Read and write custom `c_` properties on business objects.

## Security & CORS

- [Security](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/commerce/pwa-kit-managed-runtime/guide/security.md) — Authentication, authorization, and the shared responsibility model.
- [CORS in SCAPI](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/commerce/pwa-kit-managed-runtime/guide/scapi-cors.md) — Configure cross-origin resource sharing for browser-based access.