PayPal Hacks

Chapter 8. The PayPal Web Services API

Introduction: Hacks #87-100

PayPal’s Web Services application programming interface (API) is the means by which you can interface directly with the PayPal platform to build applications and web sites that leverage features on the PayPal web site. Essentially, this means that you can integrate your order-processing and customer-service systems with the payment information stored on the PayPal web site.

No longer are you bound by the patchwork services afforded by services like Instant Payment Notification (IPN) [Hack #65] and Payment Data Transfer (PDT) [Hack #85] . Instead, the API provides a more seamless link between your application and the PayPal engine, allowing you to write slick, robust order-processing applications to help grow your business.

Warning

Currently, you cannot use PayPal’s API to process credit card payments directly from your site. Your customers must still visit the PayPal web site to send payments to you, but you can subsequently use the API to retrieve the details about such payments, including those funded by credit cards.

The geek-impaired might not immediately see the benefit of writing more code to essentially duplicate the functionality that exists on the PayPal web site, but here are some specific benefits to consider:

• Individual merchants can automate administrative tasks they do repeatedly.

• Large merchants who conduct thousands of transactions a day no longer have to log into PayPal to review their transactions, ...