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Set up your account once, in Sandbox, before you build an integration.

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Steps for every integration

1

Sign in to the Dashboard in Sandbox

Sign in to the Dashboard and select Sandbox in the mode switch. Everything you build there uses test keys, test cards, and simulated terminals, and moves no money.
2

Create a test secret key

In Developers → API keys, create a secret key. Your server sends it in the Authorization header of every API request. Test secret keys start with sk_v1_test_. See Authentication.
3

Invite your team

In Settings → Team, invite teammates by email as an Owner or Admin, so the people who build and run your payments have access.
4

Add a webhook endpoint

Open Webhooks and add the HTTPS endpoint that receives your events. Your server verifies each event with the endpoint’s signing secret before acting on it. See the webhooks quickstart.

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Additional steps by product

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Ionic Blocks and embedded checkout

Register each website origin that shows the payment form in Developers → Web domains, once per mode. The scheme, hostname, and port must match, and http:// is accepted for localhost only. See Build a payment page and Embedded checkout.

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Apple Pay

Apple Pay is enabled per account. Request it during onboarding or through support. Hosted checkout, payment links, and hosted invoices show it once it is enabled. Embedded checkout also needs your domain registered for Apple Pay and Apple’s association file served on it. See Apple Pay.

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Google Pay

Hosted checkout, payment links, and hosted invoices show Google Pay for one-time payments, with no domain to register. Google Pay requires payment processing that supports it. Ask Ionic support to confirm it for your account. See Google Pay.

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In-person payments

Every test account includes two test locations and three simulated terminals, so you can build before hardware arrives. For a physical terminal, create a location and request hardware for it. See Accept in-person payments.

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Connect platforms

Ionic enables Connect for your platform, and test mode is available as soon as it is enabled. Then:
  1. Create platform keys in Connect → API keys.
  2. Add the domains your app returns users to, and your payment websites, in Connect → Domains.
  3. Create an onboarding link in Connect → Onboarding → Links.
See How Connect works and Connect a new merchant.

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Before you go live

Live payments need an account activated for live payments, live keys, and live copies of your domains and webhook endpoints. See Going live.

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What’s next

Authentication

Choose the right key for each part of your integration.

Quickstart

Create a hosted checkout session and take a test payment.

Webhooks quickstart

Verify each event’s signature and fulfill orders from it.