Connecting Payment Gateways

Storra uses your own Stripe and PayPal accounts. Money flows from your customers directly into your accounts — Storra never touches the funds, never holds a balance, and never has the ability to issue refunds without your explicit approval. Storra charges a flat monthly subscription instead of taking a percentage of every sale.

Connecting Stripe

Stripe is a one-click connect. No API keys to copy, no webhook URLs to configure.

1. Open Settings → Payments in Storra and click Connect Stripe.
2. Sign in to your existing Stripe account (or create one in a few clicks if you don't have one).
3. Stripe redirects you back to your Storra dashboard with a green "Connected" badge.

That's it. Charges flow directly to your Stripe account from this point on; Storra never holds your API keys and is not in the money flow.

Test mode

If your Storra deployment is configured with Stripe's test platform, the Connect button signs you in to Stripe's test environment. The flow is identical, just with test charges that don't move real money. Use card number 4242 4242 4242 4242 with any future expiry and any CVC at checkout.

Connecting PayPal

1. Create a REST API app

Go to developer.paypal.com, sign in with your PayPal Business account, and click Apps & Credentials. Toggle to Live (you'll see Sandbox by default — sandbox is fine for testing, but you need a Live app for real payments). Click Create app.

2. Copy your credentials

The new app shows three values:

• Client ID
• Secret (click Show)
• Mode — Sandbox or Live

3. Configure the webhook

Scroll down to Webhooks and click Add webhook:

1. Webhook URL: https://<your-store>.storra.xyz/api/webhook/paypal
2. Event types: check PAYMENT.CAPTURE.COMPLETED and PAYMENT.CAPTURE.REFUNDED.
3. Save. PayPal generates a webhook ID — Storra fetches this automatically when you save credentials, you don't need to copy it.

4. Paste credentials into Storra

On the PayPal card in Settings → Gateways, paste your Client ID, Secret, and select Mode = Live. Click Save, then Test connection.

PayPal test mode

PayPal has its own sandbox: create a sandbox app and a sandbox personal account in PayPal Developer, then sign in with the sandbox account at checkout. Stripe test mode is automatic when your Storra deployment is on the test platform.

Toggle the Test mode switch in the dashboard header — your storefront shows a yellow "Test mode" banner so real customers don't accidentally try to pay with real money during testing.

Security

For Stripe, Storra never holds your API keys at all — Connect Standard means your Stripe account is the merchant of record and Storra is just an OAuth-linked platform. We store only your Stripe account ID (acct_…), which is an identifier, not a secret. For PayPal, your gateway secrets are encrypted at rest with per-store keys.

Storra staff cannot read your secrets. The dashboard never displays your Stripe API keys (we don't have them). PayPal credentials are masked after first save and the only way to update them is to delete and re-paste.

Troubleshooting Stripe

"Couldn't finish connecting your account"

The OAuth round-trip with Stripe failed. Common causes: the connection link expired (links are valid for 10 minutes), or your browser blocked third-party cookies during the Stripe redirect. Click Connect Stripe again to restart the flow.

"This Stripe account is connected to another store"

The Stripe account you tried to connect is already linked to a different Storra tenant. Disconnect it from that tenant first, or use a different Stripe account for this store.

"Setup incomplete"

Stripe requires you to finish identity verification, banking info, or other compliance steps before your account can accept charges. Click the "Open Stripe dashboard" link in Storra to finish KYC. Once Stripe approves your account, the badge flips to green automatically.

Customer paid but order didn't appear

Check Stripe's webhook delivery logs (Developers → Webhooks → click the platform endpoint → recent attempts). If you see non-2xx responses, contact Storra support with the event ID — the platform-level webhook is configured by Storra, not by you, so this is rare.

Troubleshooting PayPal

"Authentication failure"

Your Client ID + Secret combination is invalid, or you're trying to use Sandbox credentials with Mode = Live. Recreate the app in PayPal Developer and re-copy.

Buyer was charged but order is missing

Check the webhook event in PayPal Developer (your app → Webhooks → Event Logs). If the webhook returned non-2xx from Storra, fix the underlying issue and click Resend.

FAQ

Can I use a different gateway like Mollie or NOWPayments?

Not at launch. Storra v2 ships Stripe and PayPal only. Crypto and alt-payment gateways are not on the near-term roadmap — they introduce regulatory complexity that's hard to justify for a single-vertical commerce product.

What about taxes (VAT, sales tax)?

Storra doesn't calculate taxes for you yet. Stripe Tax can do it on the gateway side; configure it in your Stripe dashboard and the captured amount will include tax. Future Native tax calculation is on the roadmap — see Tax handling.

Can I pause a gateway without deleting credentials?

Yes. Toggle the Active switch on the gateway card. The credentials stay saved (still encrypted at rest) but the gateway is hidden from checkout.

Can I use platform Stripe Connect instead?

No. Storra deliberately doesn't use Stripe Connect — that model puts Storra in the funds flow, which means we'd be regulated as a money transmitter. Direct integration to your own Stripe account keeps you in full control.