Merchant Quick Start
Time: ~5 minutes | Difficulty: Beginner This guide walks you through the minimal steps to set up a complete, working checkout using the TagadaPay Node.js SDK (@tagadapay/node-sdk). Every step has been tested end-to-end on a live environment.
Overview
Native checkout is automatic. When you create a funnel with
checkout and thankyou steps, TagadaPay injects its built-in checkout UI automatically. No plugin deployment needed.Prerequisites
| Requirement | How to get it |
|---|---|
| Node.js 18+ | nodejs.org |
| TagadaPay account | Sign up at app.tagadapay.com |
| API key | Dashboard → Settings → API Keys → Generate |
Step 1: Create a Processor
A processor is your connection to a payment gateway (Stripe, NMI, Adyen, etc.). For testing, use thesandbox type.
Step 2: Create a Payment Flow
A payment flow defines how transactions are routed through your processors. A simple flow sends all traffic to one processor.For production, consider using
strategy: 'cascade' with multiple processors and fallback configs. See Multi-Stripe Routing for advanced setups.Step 3: Create a Store
The store represents your merchant storefront. PassselectedPaymentFlowId to assign the payment flow at creation.
Step 4: Create a Product
Products define what you’re selling, with multi-currency pricing and optional recurring billing.Step 5: Create a Funnel
A funnel is the sequence of pages your customer goes through. Think of it like a slideshow:You don’t need to build a checkout page. TagadaPay automatically injects its built-in checkout UI (the “native checkout”) into
checkout and thankyou steps. It always uses the latest version — no plugin deployment, no configuration needed.Want your own custom pages instead? See the Funnel Pages guide.Step 6: Activate the Funnel
Creating a funnel saves it to the database, but it’s not live yet. Callingupdate triggers the routing engine — this is the step that actually mounts your pages to a URL on TagadaPay’s CDN.
Step 7: Create a Checkout Session
The funnel is live, but to send a customer to checkout you need a checkout session. This ties a specific cart (product + quantity + currency) to a unique session token. Usetagada.checkout.createSession() — it creates a session and returns the redirect URL with a checkout token:
redirectUrl can be used as:
- A direct link in emails, ads, or landing pages — the customer clicks it and lands on checkout with their cart pre-filled
- A redirect target from your backend — embed it in a button or
<a>tag
The
checkoutUrl parameter is critical — it tells TagadaPay where to redirect the customer. Without it, the session redirects to the default CMS checkout instead of your funnel’s deployed page.Complete Script
Here’s the full flow in one script:What Happens Under the Hood
| Step | What it does | Side effects |
|---|---|---|
processors.create() | Stores gateway credentials | None |
paymentFlows.create() | Defines routing rules | None |
stores.create() | Creates store, assigns flow | Seeds translations, order counter |
products.create() | Creates product + variants + prices | None |
funnels.create() | Saves funnel config, auto-injects native checkout | Creates plugin instance if needed |
funnels.update() | Triggers routing engine — mounts pages, creates CDN routes, builds prebuilt HTML | Pages go live |
checkout.createSession() | Creates a checkout session with cart items, returns redirect URL | Creates customer, session |
Next Steps
Sandbox Testing
Test payments without real money using the sandbox processor
Multi-PSP Routing
Cascade across Stripe, Adyen, NMI with weighted distribution
Subscriptions
Set up recurring billing with subscription products
Funnel Pages
Page types, custom pages, and deploy your own checkout, landing, or offer pages
