Building a Stripe Payment System: Lessons Learned

Overview

Building a robust Stripe payment integration requires careful consideration of security, error handling, and user experience. Here are the key lessons I learned.

Initial Setup

Install Stripe's Laravel package:

composer require stripe/stripe-php

Webhook Handling

One of the most critical aspects is properly handling Stripe webhooks:

Route::post('/webhook/stripe', [StripeWebhookController::class, 'handle'])
    ->middleware('stripe.webhook');

Always verify webhook signatures:

$payload = @file_get_contents('php://input');
$sig_header = $_SERVER['HTTP_STRIPE_SIGNATURE'];
$event = null;

try {
    $event = \Stripe\Webhook::constructEvent(
        $payload, $sig_header, $endpoint_secret
    );
} catch(\Exception $e) {
    return response()->json(['error' => $e->getMessage()], 400);
}

Subscription Management

Managing subscriptions requires careful state management:

public function handleSubscriptionCreated($event)
{
    $subscription = $event->data->object;
    
    // Store subscription in database
    // Handle initial setup
    // Send confirmation email
}

Error Handling

Always handle payment errors gracefully:

try {
    $charge = \Stripe\Charge::create([...]);
} catch (\Stripe\Exception\CardException $e) {
    // Card was declined
    return $this->handleCardError($e);
} catch (\Stripe\Exception\RateLimitException $e) {
    // Too many requests
    return $this->handleRateLimit($e);
} catch (\Exception $e) {
    // General error
    return $this->handleGenericError($e);
}

Security Best Practices

1. Never store card details - Always use Stripe Elements or Payment Intents
2. Use HTTPS only - All payment requests must be encrypted
3. Validate webhook signatures - Prevent fraudulent webhook calls
4. Idempotency keys - Prevent duplicate charges
5. PCI compliance - Follow Stripe's guidelines

Testing

Use Stripe's test mode extensively:

if (app()->environment() !== 'production') {
    \Stripe\Stripe::setApiKey(config('services.stripe.test_key'));
}

Test scenarios:

• Successful payments
• Failed payments
• Disputed charges
• Subscription lifecycle
• Webhook delivery

Monitoring

Implement comprehensive logging:

Log::info('Stripe Payment', [
    'amount' => $amount,
    'currency' => $currency,
    'status' => $status,
    'customer_id' => $customerId
]);

Key Lessons Learned

1. Idempotency is crucial - Always use idempotency keys
2. Webhooks are critical - Don't rely solely on redirect URLs
3. Error messages matter - Provide clear feedback to users
4. Test thoroughly - Use Stripe's test cards extensively
5. Monitor everything - Track all payment events
6. Handle edge cases - Partial failures, network issues, etc.
7. Keep sensitive data secure - Never log card details

Common Pitfalls

• Not verifying webhook signatures
• Not handling async webhook delivery
• Poor error message handling
• Missing idempotency checks
• Inadequate logging

A well-implemented Stripe integration provides a solid foundation for accepting payments while maintaining security and user trust.