Paypal Api

PayPal is a ubiquitous global payment method — particularly dominant in the US and Europe for consumer payments. For agents: the Orders API creates checkout sessions (redirect users to PayPal for approval), the Subscriptions API manages recurring billing plans, the Payouts API disburses funds to multiple recipients (marketplace, gig economy), and Webhooks deliver real-time payment events. OAuth2 client credentials for server-side API access. Sandbox environment mirrors production exactly. Confidence is docs-derived.

REST API at api.paypal.com/v2 (production), api.sandbox.paypal.com/v2 (sandbox). Orders: POST /v2/checkout/orders creates order ({intent: "CAPTURE", purchase_units: [{amount: {currency_code, value}}]}). GET /v2/checkout/orders/{id} retrieves order. POST /v2/checkout/orders/{id}/capture captures payment after buyer approval. Subscriptions: POST /v1/billing/plans creates plan ({product_id, billing_cycles}). POST /v1/billing/subscriptions creates subscription. Payouts: POST /v1/payments/payouts ({sender_batch_header, items: [{recipient_type: "EMAIL", amount, receiver}]}). GET /v1/payments/payouts/{payout_batch_id} checks payout status. Invoicing: POST /v2/invoicing/invoices creates invoice. Webhooks: POST /v1/notifications/webhooks registers webhook.

OAuth2 client credentials: POST /v1/oauth2/token ({grant_type: client_credentials, client_id, client_secret}) → access token. Token expires: 9 hours. Credentials from PayPal Developer Dashboard → My Apps & Credentials. HTTPS enforced. Sandbox: separate client credentials (sandbox environment). Webhook signature: verify via POST /v1/notifications/verify-webhook-signature (PayPal-hosted verification endpoint — or local HMAC verification). Permissions: some APIs (payouts, advanced credit/debit) require PayPal feature enablement on account.

Standard HTTP status codes with JSON error bodies ({name, message, details, debug_id}). 422 for invalid amount or missing buyer approval. Order capture: must capture after buyer approves on PayPal — capture_id returned for refund reference. Payout: async — check payout status via GET /payouts/{id}. Webhook delivery: PayPal retries on failure. Payout eligibility: receiver must have verified PayPal account. Disputes: timely response required (PayPal has strict chargeback timelines). PayPal uptime at developer.paypal.com/status. Sandbox limitations: some features (certain payout types) differ from production.

developer.paypal.com/docs covers Orders API, Subscriptions API, Payouts API, Invoicing API, Webhooks reference, and sandbox setup. Getting started: create PayPal Developer account (free), create sandbox app, get sandbox credentials — first order in under 15 minutes. Official SDKs: paypalrestsdk (Python/deprecated), paypal-server-sdk (Node.js), paypal-python-sdk, paypal-java-sdk. PayPal.js for frontend checkout button. Community via PayPal Developer Community. Documentation quality is adequate; sandbox testing is well-supported.