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Welcome to TapRails! Follow this guide to prepare your account and infrastructure for contactless payments.

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1. Dashboard Setup

Before integrating the SDK, you must register your company and obtain API keys. TapRails uses a strictly isolated architecture with two completely separate dashboards for Production and Sandbox testing.
  1. Sign Up on Production: Create your account on the Live Partner Dashboard. (Note: You must register here first; Sandbox registrations are disabled to ensure your identity remains secure and synchronized.)
  2. Verify Email: Activate your account via the link sent to your email.
  3. Access the Sandbox: Once registered on Live, your credentials are automatically securely synced. You can immediately log into the Sandbox Partner Dashboard using the exact same email and password to begin testing safely.
  4. Company Profile: Complete your profile by selecting between Custodial (POOL) or Non-Custodial (Session Key) mode.
  5. Get API Keys: Navigate to Settings > API Keys in either dashboard to find your Public and Secret keys.
Never expose your Secret Key (sk_...) in client-side code, mobile apps, or public repositories.

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2. Environment Configuration

TapRails provides two completely isolated environments to ensure your live data is never mixed with test data. Use the appropriate Dashboard, API Base URL, and API keys for your stage of development.
EnvironmentDashboard URLAPI Base URLPublic Key Prefix
Sandbox (Test)https://sandbox.partner.taprails.xyzhttps://sandbox.api.taprails.xyz/api/v1pk_test_...
Production (Live)https://partner.taprails.xyzhttps://api.taprails.xyz/api/v1pk_live_...

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3. Pre-fund Your Treasury (POOL mode)

If you are using POOL (Custodial) mode, you must deposit USDC into your treasury wallet before processing payments.
  1. Go to the Dashboard > Treasury section.
  2. Copy your deposit address.
  3. Send USDC on the Base network to this address.
  4. Funds typically appear in your dashboard within 60 seconds.

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4. Create your first Merchant

Before you can use the SDK, you must create a merchant. This provisions a dedicated wallet for the merchant and returns a merchant_id required for SDK initialization. Use your Secret Key (sk_...) to call the Management API: 
curl -X POST https://api.taprails.com/api/v1/management/merchants/create \
  -H "x-api-key: sk_live_your_secret_key" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "Coffee Haven",
    "email": "owner@coffeehaven.com"
  }'
The response will contain your merchant_id (e.g., mch_abc123). Keep this handy for the next step.

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5. Configure Webhooks

To receive real-time updates for payment confirmations or pool events, configure your webhook endpoint in Settings > Webhooks.
  1. Enter your server’s endpoint URL (e.g., https://api.yourcompany.com/webhooks/taprails).
  2. Select the events you wish to subscribe to (e.g., payment.confirmed, pool.low_balance).
  3. Save the Webhook Secret to verify incoming requests.

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Next Steps

Now that your account is set up and you have a merchant_id, you are ready to integrate the SDK into your application.

React Native SDK

Install the package and start accepting payments in your React Native app.

Management API

Explore the full Management API to manage merchants and payments.