# Creating Quotes

A quote is a price + print-time estimate for a specific file, printer, and filament combination. Under the hood Cloud Slicer slices your model, which can take anywhere from a few seconds to a couple of minutes — so the API is **async**: you queue a job, then poll until it finishes. This is the same flow the embedded Cloud Slicer widget uses.

## Prerequisites

Before you can quote, you need:

- A **`file_id`** — see [Managing Files](/guides/managing-files).
- A **`printer_id`** — create one at [dashboard/printers/new](https://www.cloudslicer3d.com/dashboard/printers/new).
- A **`filament_id`** — create one at [dashboard/filaments/new](https://www.cloudslicer3d.com/dashboard/filaments/new).
- Your **API token** in the `Authorization: Bearer ...` header.

## Queue a quote

`POST /v1/quote/queue/{file_id}` accepts a JSON body with at minimum `printer_id` and `filament_id`. Everything else (`slicer_model`, `pricing_config`, `print_settings`) is optional and falls back to sensible defaults. The response is `202 Accepted` with a `quote_id` you'll poll on.

<CodeTabs>

```python
import requests

API_TOKEN = "YOUR_API_TOKEN"
BASE_URL = "https://api.cloudslicer3d.com/v1"

file_id = "YOUR_FILE_ID"
response = requests.post(
    f"{BASE_URL}/quote/queue/{file_id}",
    headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {API_TOKEN}"},
    json={
        "printer_id": "YOUR_PRINTER_ID",
        "filament_id": "YOUR_FILAMENT_ID",
    },
)
response.raise_for_status()
quote_id = response.json()["quote_id"]
print(quote_id)
```

```typescript
const API_TOKEN = "YOUR_API_TOKEN";
const BASE_URL = "https://api.cloudslicer3d.com/v1";

const fileId = "YOUR_FILE_ID";
const response = await fetch(`${BASE_URL}/quote/queue/${fileId}`, {
  method: "POST",
  headers: {
    "Authorization": `Bearer ${API_TOKEN}`,
    "Content-Type": "application/json",
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    printer_id: "YOUR_PRINTER_ID",
    filament_id: "YOUR_FILAMENT_ID",
  }),
});

if (!response.ok) throw new Error(await response.text());
const { quote_id } = await response.json();
console.log(quote_id);
```

</CodeTabs>

:::note
Want to override defaults? You can also pass `pricing_config` (currency, cost-per-hour, cost-per-gram, base price, electricity) and `print_settings` (layer height, infill, supports, filament color, etc.) in the same body. Both default to Cloud Slicer's reasonable defaults if omitted.
:::

## Poll until ready

`GET /v1/quote/{quote_id}` returns the quote's current state. The `status` field starts as `"pending"` and ends at `"success"` or `"failed"`. Poll every couple of seconds with a sane timeout.

<CodeTabs>

```python
import time
import requests

def wait_for_quote(quote_id, timeout_seconds=300):
    deadline = time.time() + timeout_seconds
    while time.time() < deadline:
        quote = requests.get(
            f"{BASE_URL}/quote/{quote_id}",
            headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {API_TOKEN}"},
        ).json()
        if quote["status"] == "success":
            return quote
        if quote["status"] == "failed":
            raise RuntimeError(quote.get("error_message") or "Quote failed")
        time.sleep(2)
    raise TimeoutError("Quote did not complete in time")

quote = wait_for_quote(quote_id)
print(quote["pricing"]["total_price"], quote["time"]["estimated_time"])
```

```typescript
async function waitForQuote(quoteId: string, timeoutMs = 300_000) {
  const deadline = Date.now() + timeoutMs;
  while (Date.now() < deadline) {
    const quote = await fetch(`${BASE_URL}/quote/${quoteId}`, {
      headers: { Authorization: `Bearer ${API_TOKEN}` },
    }).then((r) => r.json());

    if (quote.status === "success") return quote;
    if (quote.status === "failed") {
      throw new Error(quote.error_message ?? "Quote failed");
    }
    await new Promise((r) => setTimeout(r, 2000));
  }
  throw new Error("Quote did not complete in time");
}

const quote = await waitForQuote(quote_id);
console.log(quote.pricing.total_price, quote.time.estimated_time);
```

</CodeTabs>

## What you get back

A successful quote response includes:

- **`pricing.total_price`** — the all-in price (number)
- **`pricing.filament_cost`**, **`pricing.electricity_cost`**, **`pricing.currency`** — cost breakdown
- **`pricing.filament_weight`** — grams of filament the print will use
- **`time.estimated_time`** — human-readable (e.g. `"2h 30m"`)
- **`time.estimated_time_seconds`** — number of seconds, useful for math
- **`files.gcode_path`**, **`files.gcode_name`** — the generated g-code, ready to download
- **`configurations.printer_config`**, **`configurations.filament_config`**, **`configurations.print_config`** — the exact configs used so you can reproduce the slice

:::note
The "fits printer" check the widget shows is computed **client-side** from the model's bounding box vs. your printer's bed — it isn't a field on the quote response.
:::

## Download the g-code

Once the quote is `"success"`, `GET /v1/quote/gcode/{quote_id}` streams the sliced g-code back to you.

<CodeTabs>

```python
import requests

response = requests.get(
    f"{BASE_URL}/quote/gcode/{quote_id}",
    headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {API_TOKEN}"},
    stream=True,
)
response.raise_for_status()

with open("output.gcode", "wb") as out:
    for chunk in response.iter_content(chunk_size=8192):
        out.write(chunk)
```

```typescript
import { writeFile } from "node:fs/promises";

const response = await fetch(`${BASE_URL}/quote/gcode/${quote_id}`, {
  headers: { Authorization: `Bearer ${API_TOKEN}` },
});

if (!response.ok) throw new Error(await response.text());
await writeFile("output.gcode", Buffer.from(await response.arrayBuffer()));
```

</CodeTabs>

## Clean up a quote

`DELETE /v1/quote/{quote_id}` deletes a quote record and its g-code file. Useful for cleanup after you've fetched what you need.

<CodeTabs>

```python
import requests

requests.delete(
    f"{BASE_URL}/quote/{quote_id}",
    headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {API_TOKEN}"},
).raise_for_status()
```

```typescript
await fetch(`${BASE_URL}/quote/${quote_id}`, {
  method: "DELETE",
  headers: { Authorization: `Bearer ${API_TOKEN}` },
});
```

</CodeTabs>

## A note on the synchronous endpoint

You'll also see `POST /v1/quote/{file_id}` in the API reference — that's the **deprecated** synchronous quote endpoint. It blocks until slicing finishes (or the connection times out), which is fragile for any file larger than a benchy. Use the queue + poll flow above unless you have a very specific reason not to.