Stripe Checkout - Part 1: Enable Payments with Checkout Sessions

Are you eager to integrate seamless payment functionality into your web or mobile application? Look no further than Stripe Checkout and Xano's powerful Stripe Checkout API extension. In this step-by-step guide, we'll walk you through the process of setting up and implementing the Stripe Checkout API in your Xano workspace, enabling you to collect payments quickly and securely.

Why Stripe Checkout?

Stripe Checkout is a trusted payment platform used by millions of businesses worldwide. It creates a secure, hosted payment page that allows you to collect payments effortlessly across devices, while potentially increasing your conversion rates. With Stripe Checkout, you can provide a smooth and seamless payment experience for your customers.

Step 1: Install the Stripe Checkout API Extension

The first step is to install the Stripe Checkout API extension in your Xano workspace. Navigate to the Marketplace in Xano and find the Stripe Checkout extension under the Payment section. Click "Install" to add it to your workspace.

Step 2: Configure the Extension

After installing the extension, you'll need to configure it with your Stripe API secret. Here's how:

1. Head over to the Stripe Developer Dashboard and create an account if you haven't already.
2. In the Developers section, locate the "API Keys" area and reveal your secret key.
3. Copy the secret key and return to Xano.
4. Click "Configure" on the Stripe Checkout extension and paste your Stripe API secret key.

Voila! Your extension is now configured and ready to use.

Step 3: Understand the API Endpoints

The Stripe Checkout API extension in Xano provides five different API endpoints, but we'll primarily focus on two:

1. POST /sessions: This endpoint creates a Stripe checkout session object. You'll need to provide line items (including the product price ID and quantity), as well as success and cancel URLs for redirection after payment.
2. POST /webhook: This endpoint handles webhook events from Stripe, allowing you to track and respond to various payment events within your application.

Step 4: Create Products in the Stripe Developer Portal

Before you can sell anything, you'll need to create products and pricing in the Stripe Developer Portal. Here's how:

1. Log in to your Stripe account and navigate to the "Products" section.
2. Click "Add Product" and provide a name for your product (e.g., "Coolest Product").
3. Scroll down to the "Pricing" section and set up your pricing details, including the amount, currency, and whether it's a one-time or recurring payment.
4. Save the product, and you'll be provided with a unique "Price API ID" for that product and pricing combination.

Step 5: Create a Checkout Session

With your product and pricing set up in Stripe, you can now create a checkout session in Xano using the POST /sessions endpoint. Here's an example:

Replace `"your_price_api_id"` with the actual Price API ID from your Stripe product, and adjust the `quantity`, `success_url`, and `cancel_url` as needed.

Step 6: Integrate with Your Front-end

With the checkout session created, you can now integrate it with your front-end application. Here's a basic example using Bubble:

1. In Bubble, create a "Buy Now" button that triggers a workflow.
2. Within the workflow, use the Bubble API Connector to call the POST /sessions endpoint from Xano, passing in the required data (product, quantity, success/cancel URLs).
3. Extract the `url` property from the response and use Bubble's "Open External Page" action to redirect the user to the Stripe-hosted checkout page.
4. Upon successful payment, Stripe will redirect the user to your specified `success_url`. Similarly, if the payment is canceled, the user will be redirected to your `cancel_url`.

And there you have it! You've successfully integrated Stripe Checkout into your application using Xano's powerful Stripe Checkout API extension.

What's Next?

Stay tuned for part two of this tutorial, where we'll cover setting up webhooks and customizing the Stripe Checkout integration to track users and their associated payment sessions within your application.

Remember, the true power of Xano lies in its ability to empower both non-technical users and developers to build and deploy applications rapidly. By leveraging the Stripe Checkout API extension, you can streamline the payment process and provide a seamless experience for your customers.

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