Getting started with the JavaScript SDK

Set up the Stripe Terminal JavaScript SDK so you can begin accepting in-person payments with a Verifone P400 reader and your website.

Getting started with the JavaScript SDK requires four steps:

Install the SDK on your checkout page
Set up the connection token endpoint on your backend and web application
Initialize the SDK in your web application
Connect to the simulated reader

Step 1: Install the SDK Client-side

To get started, include this script on your checkout page. This script must always load directly from https://js.stripe.com for compatibility with the latest reader software. Do not include the script in a bundle or host a copy yourself; this could break your integration without warning.

<script src="https://js.stripe.com/terminal/v1/"></script>
<script src="https://js.stripe.com/terminal/v1/"></script>

Using the Terminal JS SDK as a module

We also provide an npm package that makes it easier to load and use the Terminal JS SDK as a module. For more information, check out the project on GitHub.

Step 2: Set up the ConnectionToken endpoint Server-side Client-side

Server-side

To connect to a reader, your backend needs to give the SDK permission to use the reader with your Stripe account, by providing it with the secret from a ConnectionToken. Your backend should only create connection tokens for clients that it trusts.

curl https://api.stripe.com/v1/terminal/connection_tokens \
  -u sk_test_4eC39HqLyjWDarjtT1zdp7dc: \
  -X POST

curl https://api.stripe.com/v1/terminal/connection_tokens \
  -u sk_test_4eC39HqLyjWDarjtT1zdp7dc: \
  -X POST

# Set your secret key. Remember to switch to your live secret key in production!
# See your keys here: https://dashboard.stripe.com/account/apikeys
Stripe.api_key = 'sk_test_4eC39HqLyjWDarjtT1zdp7dc'

# In a new endpoint on your server, create a ConnectionToken and return the
# `secret` to your app. The SDK needs the `secret` to connect to a reader.
Stripe::Terminal::ConnectionToken.create
# Set your secret key. Remember to switch to your live secret key in production!
# See your keys here: https://dashboard.stripe.com/account/apikeys
Stripe.api_key = 'sk_test_4eC39HqLyjWDarjtT1zdp7dc'

# In a new endpoint on your server, create a ConnectionToken and return the
# `secret` to your app. The SDK needs the `secret` to connect to a reader.
Stripe::Terminal::ConnectionToken.create

# Set your secret key. Remember to switch to your live secret key in production!
# See your keys here: https://dashboard.stripe.com/account/apikeys
stripe.api_key = 'sk_test_4eC39HqLyjWDarjtT1zdp7dc'

# In a new endpoint on your server, create a ConnectionToken and return the
# `secret` to your app. The SDK needs the `secret` to connect to a reader.
connection_token = stripe.terminal.ConnectionToken.create()
# Set your secret key. Remember to switch to your live secret key in production!
# See your keys here: https://dashboard.stripe.com/account/apikeys
stripe.api_key = 'sk_test_4eC39HqLyjWDarjtT1zdp7dc'

# In a new endpoint on your server, create a ConnectionToken and return the
# `secret` to your app. The SDK needs the `secret` to connect to a reader.
connection_token = stripe.terminal.ConnectionToken.create()

// Set your secret key. Remember to switch to your live secret key in production!
// See your keys here: https://dashboard.stripe.com/account/apikeys
const stripe = require('stripe')('sk_test_4eC39HqLyjWDarjtT1zdp7dc');

// In a new endpoint on your server, create a ConnectionToken and return the
// `secret` to your app. The SDK needs the `secret` to connect to a reader.
let connectionToken = stripe.terminal.connectionTokens.create();
// Set your secret key. Remember to switch to your live secret key in production!
// See your keys here: https://dashboard.stripe.com/account/apikeys
const stripe = require('stripe')('sk_test_4eC39HqLyjWDarjtT1zdp7dc');

// In a new endpoint on your server, create a ConnectionToken and return the
// `secret` to your app. The SDK needs the `secret` to connect to a reader.
let connectionToken = stripe.terminal.connectionTokens.create();

// Set your secret key. Remember to switch to your live secret key in production!
// See your keys here: https://dashboard.stripe.com/account/apikeys
\Stripe\Stripe::setApiKey('sk_test_4eC39HqLyjWDarjtT1zdp7dc');

// In a new endpoint on your server, create a ConnectionToken and return the
// `secret` to your app. The SDK needs the `secret` to connect to a reader.
$connectionToken = \Stripe\Terminal\ConnectionToken::create();
// Set your secret key. Remember to switch to your live secret key in production!
// See your keys here: https://dashboard.stripe.com/account/apikeys
\Stripe\Stripe::setApiKey('sk_test_4eC39HqLyjWDarjtT1zdp7dc');

// In a new endpoint on your server, create a ConnectionToken and return the
// `secret` to your app. The SDK needs the `secret` to connect to a reader.
$connectionToken = \Stripe\Terminal\ConnectionToken::create();

// Set your secret key. Remember to switch to your live secret key in production!
// See your keys here: https://dashboard.stripe.com/account/apikeys
Stripe.apiKey = "sk_test_4eC39HqLyjWDarjtT1zdp7dc";

// In a new endpoint on your server, create a ConnectionToken and return the
// `secret` to your app. The SDK needs the `secret` to connect to a reader.
ConnectionTokenCreateParams params =
  ConnectionTokenCreateParams.builder()
    .build();

ConnectionToken connectionToken = ConnectionToken.create(params);
// Set your secret key. Remember to switch to your live secret key in production!
// See your keys here: https://dashboard.stripe.com/account/apikeys
Stripe.apiKey = "sk_test_4eC39HqLyjWDarjtT1zdp7dc";

// In a new endpoint on your server, create a ConnectionToken and return the
// `secret` to your app. The SDK needs the `secret` to connect to a reader.
ConnectionTokenCreateParams params =
  ConnectionTokenCreateParams.builder()
    .build();

ConnectionToken connectionToken = ConnectionToken.create(params);

// Set your secret key. Remember to switch to your live secret key in production!
// See your keys here: https://dashboard.stripe.com/account/apikeys
stripe.Key = "sk_test_4eC39HqLyjWDarjtT1zdp7dc"

// In a new endpoint on your server, create a ConnectionToken and return the
// `secret` to your app. The SDK needs the `secret` to connect to a reader.
params := &stripe.TerminalConnectionTokenParams{}
ct, _ := connectiontoken.New(params)
// Set your secret key. Remember to switch to your live secret key in production!
// See your keys here: https://dashboard.stripe.com/account/apikeys
stripe.Key = "sk_test_4eC39HqLyjWDarjtT1zdp7dc"

// In a new endpoint on your server, create a ConnectionToken and return the
// `secret` to your app. The SDK needs the `secret` to connect to a reader.
params := &stripe.TerminalConnectionTokenParams{}
ct, _ := connectiontoken.New(params)

// Set your secret key. Remember to switch to your live secret key in production!
// See your keys here: https://dashboard.stripe.com/account/apikeys
StripeConfiguration.ApiKey = "sk_test_4eC39HqLyjWDarjtT1zdp7dc";

// In a new endpoint on your server, create a ConnectionToken and return the
// `secret` to your app. The SDK needs the `secret` to connect to a reader.
var options = new ConnectionTokenCreateOptions{};
var service = new ConnectionTokenService();
var connectionToken = service.Create(options);
// Set your secret key. Remember to switch to your live secret key in production!
// See your keys here: https://dashboard.stripe.com/account/apikeys
StripeConfiguration.ApiKey = "sk_test_4eC39HqLyjWDarjtT1zdp7dc";

// In a new endpoint on your server, create a ConnectionToken and return the
// `secret` to your app. The SDK needs the `secret` to connect to a reader.
var options = new ConnectionTokenCreateOptions{};
var service = new ConnectionTokenService();
var connectionToken = service.Create(options);

Client-side

To give the SDK access to this endpoint, create a function in your web application that requests a ConnectionToken from your backend and returns the secret from the ConnectionToken object.

function fetchConnectionToken() {
  // Your backend should call /v1/terminal/connection_tokens and return the JSON response from Stripe
  return fetch('https://{YOUR_BACKEND_URL}/connection_token', { method: "POST" })
    .then(function(response) {
      return response.json();
    })
    .then(function(data) {
      return data.secret;
    });
}
function fetchConnectionToken() {
  // Your backend should call /v1/terminal/connection_tokens and return the JSON response from Stripe
  return fetch('https://{YOUR_BACKEND_URL}/connection_token', { method: "POST" })
    .then(function(response) {
      return response.json();
    })
    .then(function(data) {
      return data.secret;
    });
}

async function fetchConnectionToken() {
  // Your backend should call /v1/terminal/connection_tokens and return the JSON response from Stripe
  const response = await fetch('https://{YOUR_BACKEND_URL}/connection_token', { method: "POST" });
  const data = await response.json();
  return data.secret;
}
async function fetchConnectionToken() {
  // Your backend should call /v1/terminal/connection_tokens and return the JSON response from Stripe
  const response = await fetch('https://{YOUR_BACKEND_URL}/connection_token', { method: "POST" });
  const data = await response.json();
  return data.secret;
}

This function is called whenever the SDK is initialized. It’s also called when a new ConnectionToken is needed to connect to a reader (for example, when your app disconnects from a reader). If the SDK is unable to retrieve a new ConnectionToken from your backend, connecting to a reader fails with the error from your server.

Step 3: Initialize the SDK Client-side

The StripeTerminal object made available by the SDK exposes a generic interface for discovering readers, connecting to a reader, and creating payments. To initialize a StripeTerminal instance in your JavaScript application, provide the ConnectionToken function implemented in Step 2.

You must also provide a function to handle unexpected disconnects from the reader, onUnexpectedReaderDisconnect. In this function, your app should notify the user that the reader disconnected. You can also include a way to attempt to reconnect to a reader. For more information, see Handling disconnects.

var terminal = StripeTerminal.create({
  onFetchConnectionToken: fetchConnectionToken,
  onUnexpectedReaderDisconnect: unexpectedDisconnect,
});
var terminal = StripeTerminal.create({
  onFetchConnectionToken: fetchConnectionToken,
  onUnexpectedReaderDisconnect: unexpectedDisconnect,
});

const terminal = StripeTerminal.create({
  onFetchConnectionToken: fetchConnectionToken,
  onUnexpectedReaderDisconnect: unexpectedDisconnect,
});
const terminal = StripeTerminal.create({
  onFetchConnectionToken: fetchConnectionToken,
  onUnexpectedReaderDisconnect: unexpectedDisconnect,
});

Step 4: Connect to the simulated reader Client-side

The Stripe Terminal SDK comes with a built-in simulated card reader, so you can develop and test your app without connecting to physical hardware. Whether your integration is complete or you’re just starting out, use the simulated reader to emulate all the Terminal flows in your app: connecting to a reader, updating reader software, and collecting payments.

Note that the simulated reader does not provide a UI. After connecting to it in your app, you can see it working when calls to the Stripe SDK succeed.

Simulated reader configuration

The simulated reader supports a small amount of configuration, enabling you to test different flows within your point of sale application.

Currently, the simulated reader configuration API is only available in our JavaScript SDK. There is only one option that can be configured: you change the simulated reader so that it creates a payment with an Interac card instead of a Visa card.

To enable this behavior, insert this line of code before you call collectPaymentMethod:

terminal.setSimulatorConfiguration({payment_method_type: 'interac_present'});
terminal.setSimulatorConfiguration({payment_method_type: 'interac_present'});

Configurations are only active from the time they are set to the end of the next call to processPayment; in other words, setting the configuration only changes the simulated reader’s behavior during the following payment. If you want a configuration to take place during the entirety of your application’s lifetime, make sure to set the configuration somewhere in your code that gets called at the beginning of every new payment.

For more details about the configuration options API, see the Stripe Terminal JavaScript API reference.

To use the simulated reader, call discoverReaders to search for readers, with the simulated option set to true. When discoverReaders returns a result, call connectReader to connect to the simulated reader.

// Handler for a "Connect Reader" button
function connectReaderHandler() {
  var config = {simulated: true};
  terminal.discoverReaders(config).then(function(discoverResult) {
    if (discoverResult.error) {
      console.log('Failed to discover: ', discoverResult.error);
    } else if (discoverResult.discoveredReaders.length === 0) {
      console.log('No available readers.');
    } else {
      // Just select the first reader here.
      var selectedReader = discoverResult.discoveredReaders[0];

      terminal.connectReader(selectedReader).then(function(connectResult) {
        if (connectResult.error) {
          console.log('Failed to connect: ', connectResult.error);
        } else {
          console.log('Connected to reader: ', connectResult.reader.label);
        }
      });
    }
  });
}
// Handler for a "Connect Reader" button
function connectReaderHandler() {
  var config = {simulated: true};
  terminal.discoverReaders(config).then(function(discoverResult) {
    if (discoverResult.error) {
      console.log('Failed to discover: ', discoverResult.error);
    } else if (discoverResult.discoveredReaders.length === 0) {
      console.log('No available readers.');
    } else {
      // Just select the first reader here.
      var selectedReader = discoverResult.discoveredReaders[0];

      terminal.connectReader(selectedReader).then(function(connectResult) {
        if (connectResult.error) {
          console.log('Failed to connect: ', connectResult.error);
        } else {
          console.log('Connected to reader: ', connectResult.reader.label);
        }
      });
    }
  });
}

// Handler for a "Connect Reader" button
async function connectReaderHandler() {
  const config = {simulated: true};
  const discoverResult = await terminal.discoverReaders(config);
  if (discoverResult.error) {
    console.log('Failed to discover: ', discoverResult.error);
  } else if (discoverResult.discoveredReaders.length === 0) {
    console.log('No available readers.');
  } else {
    // Just select the first reader here.
    const selectedReader = discoverResult.discoveredReaders[0];

    const connectResult = await terminal.connectReader(selectedReader);
    if (connectResult.error) {
      console.log('Failed to connect: ', connectResult.error);
    } else {
      console.log('Connected to reader: ', connectResult.reader.label);
    }
  }
}
// Handler for a "Connect Reader" button
async function connectReaderHandler() {
  const config = {simulated: true};
  const discoverResult = await terminal.discoverReaders(config);
  if (discoverResult.error) {
    console.log('Failed to discover: ', discoverResult.error);
  } else if (discoverResult.discoveredReaders.length === 0) {
    console.log('No available readers.');
  } else {
    // Just select the first reader here.
    const selectedReader = discoverResult.discoveredReaders[0];

    const connectResult = await terminal.connectReader(selectedReader);
    if (connectResult.error) {
      console.log('Failed to connect: ', connectResult.error);
    } else {
      console.log('Connected to reader: ', connectResult.reader.label);
    }
  }
}

Supported browsers

The Stripe Terminal JavaScript SDK strives to support all recent versions of major browsers. We support:

Internet Explorer 11 and Edge on Windows.
Firefox on desktop platforms.
Chrome and Safari on all platforms.
The Android native browser on Android 4.4 and later.

If you have issues with the Stripe Terminal JavaScript SDK on a specific browser, please email support-terminal@stripe.com.

SDK updates

Stripe periodically releases updates to the Stripe Terminal JavaScript SDK, the Stripe Terminal iOS SDK, and the Stripe Terminal Android SDK, which can include new functionality, bug fixes, and security updates. Update your integrated version of the Stripe Terminal JavaScript, iOS, or Android SDK as soon as a new version is available.

Next steps

Congratulations! You integrated the Stripe Terminal SDK into your app and connected to a simulated reader. Next, either continue your integration using the simulated reader to collect payments, or learn about physical reader types.

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