Technical reference

Stripe Cheatsheet

Payments, subscriptions, and safe integrations

Must Know

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PaymentIntent

Amounts use the currency's smallest unit.

const intent = await stripe.paymentIntents.create({
  amount: 2500,
  currency: 'usd',
  automatic_payment_methods: { enabled: true },
}, { idempotencyKey });

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Webhook Verification

Use the unmodified raw body.

const event = stripe.webhooks.constructEvent(rawBody, signature, endpointSecret);

Important Patterns

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Trust Server State

Fulfill from verified webhooks, not client redirects.

switch (event.type) {
  case 'payment_intent.succeeded':
    await fulfillOrderOnce(event.data.object.id);
}

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Metadata

Store internal references, but never secrets or sensitive health data.

metadata: {
  orderId: order.id,
  tenantId: tenant.id,
}

Useful Recipes

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Checkout Session

await stripe.checkout.sessions.create({
  mode: 'payment',
  line_items: [{ price: priceId, quantity: 1 }],
  success_url,
  cancel_url,
});

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Refund

Track refund state from webhook events.

await stripe.refunds.create({
  payment_intent: paymentIntentId,
  amount: partialAmount,
}, { idempotencyKey });

Pitfalls & Production

Money Rules

integer minor units
do not use floating point
store currency with amount
handle zero-decimal currencies
calculate totals server-side

Operational Safety

Payments need recovery and reconciliation, not only a happy path.

test clocks
restricted API keys
request IDs
webhook replay
fraud controls
reconciliation jobs