API Reference

The Stripe API is organized around REST. Our API has predictable, resource-oriented URLs, and uses HTTP response codes to indicate API errors. We use built-in HTTP features, like HTTP authentication and HTTP verbs, which are understood by off-the-shelf HTTP clients. We support cross-origin resource sharing, allowing you to interact securely with our API from a client-side web application (though you should never expose your secret API key in any public website's client-side code). JSON is returned by all API responses, including errors, although our API libraries convert responses to appropriate language-specific objects.

To make the API as explorable as possible, accounts have test mode and live mode API keys. There is no "switch" for changing between modes, just use the appropriate key to perform a live or test transaction. Requests made with test mode credentials never hit the banking networks and incur no cost.

API libraries

Official libraries for the Stripe API are available in several languages. Community-supported libraries are also available for additional languages.

https://api.stripe.com

Authentication

Authenticate your account when using the API by including your secret API key in the request. You can manage your API keys in the Dashboard. Your API keys carry many privileges, so be sure to keep them secret! Do not share your secret API keys in publicly accessible areas such GitHub, client-side code, and so forth.

Authentication to the API is performed via HTTP Basic Auth. Provide your API key as the basic auth username value. You do not need to provide a password.

If you need to authenticate via bearer auth (e.g., for a cross-origin request), use -H "Authorization: Bearer sk_test_BQokikJOvBiI2HlWgH4olfQ2" instead of -u sk_test_BQokikJOvBiI2HlWgH4olfQ2:.

All API requests must be made over HTTPS. Calls made over plain HTTP will fail. API requests without authentication will also fail.

curl https://api.stripe.com/v1/charges \
   -u sk_test_BQokikJOvBiI2HlWgH4olfQ2:

curl uses the -u flag to pass basic auth credentials (adding a colon after your API key prevents cURL from asking for a password).

A sample test API key is included in all the examples on this page, so you can test any example right away. To test requests using your account, replace the sample API key with your actual API key.