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"id": "flutterwave",
"name": "Flutterwave",
"aliases": ["Flutterwave v4", "F4B", "Flutterwave for Business"],
"homepage": "https://flutterwave.com",
"docs_url": "https://developer.flutterwave.com/docs",
"api_version": "v4",
"category": "african-aggregator",
"regions": ["Pan-African"],
"countries": ["NG", "GH", "KE", "ZA", "UG", "TZ", "RW"],
"currencies": ["USD", "NGN", "GHS", "KES", "ZAR", "UGX", "TZS", "RWF"],
"methods": ["card", "mobile_money", "bank_transfer", "ussd"],
"auth": {
"model": "oauth-client-credentials",
"token_endpoint": "POST https://idp.flutterwave.com/realms/flutterwave/protocol/openid-connect/token",
"grant_type": "client_credentials",
"token_content_type": "application/x-www-form-urlencoded",
"token_ttl_seconds": 600,
"refresh_before_expiry_seconds": 60,
"bearer_header": "Authorization: Bearer <access_token>",
"key_types": ["clientId", "clientSecret", "encryptionKey", "secretHash"],
"sandbox_instant": true,
"kyc_required_for_live": true,
"note": "v4 replaces v3's static FLWSECK- Bearer key with OAuth client-credentials. Cache the 10-minute token per clientId, refresh ~60s before expiry, and re-auth once on a 401."
},
"environments": {
"token_host": "https://idp.flutterwave.com/realms/flutterwave/protocol/openid-connect/token",
"sandbox_base": "https://developersandbox-api.flutterwave.com",
"live_base_default": "https://f4bexperience.flutterwave.com",
"live_base_alt": "https://api.flutterwave.cloud/f4b/production",
"note": "The production base host is documented inconsistently (f4bexperience vs api.flutterwave.cloud/f4b/production) — make the live host configurable; sandbox host is fixed."
},
"initiate": {
"flow": "orchestration-direct-charge",
"endpoint": "POST /orchestration/direct-charges",
"http_method": "POST",
"required_headers": ["Authorization", "Content-Type: application/json", "X-Idempotency-Key"],
"optional_headers": ["X-Scenario-Key (sandbox test outcomes only)"],
"required_params": ["amount", "currency", "reference", "payment_method", "customer.email", "customer.name"],
"amount_unit": "major",
"amount_type": "number",
"payment_method": {
"card": "payment_method.type='card', card:{ nonce, encrypted_card_number, encrypted_expiry_month, encrypted_expiry_year, encrypted_cvv } — AES-256-GCM field encryption",
"mobile_money": "payment_method.type='mobile_money', mobile_money:{ network, country_code, phone_number } — NO encryption",
"bank_transfer_ussd": "payment_method.type='bank_transfer'|'ussd' — customer completes via next_action"
},
"returns": ["data.id (chg_...)", "data.status", "data.next_action", "data.reference"],
"next_action_types": ["redirect_url", "requires_otp", "requires_pin", "requires_additional_fields", "payment_instruction"],
"checkout_url": "data.next_action.redirect_url.url when data.next_action.type === 'redirect_url'"
},
"encryption": {
"algorithm": "AES-256-GCM (AES/GCM/NoPadding)",
"applies_to": ["card"],
"fields": ["encrypted_card_number", "encrypted_expiry_month", "encrypted_expiry_year", "encrypted_cvv"],
"key": "base64-decode the Encryption Key to 32 bytes (AES-256)",
"iv": "the per-request 12-char nonce (its UTF-8 bytes), also echoed inside payment_method.card.nonce",
"output": "base64(ciphertext || 16-byte GCM auth tag)",
"note": "Key encoding, IV=nonce, and tag-append are per-docs convention and UNCONFIRMED against an official SDK. Mobile money / bank transfer are NOT encrypted."
},
"status": {
"mechanisms": ["poll", "webhook", "redirect-return"],
"poll_endpoint": "GET /charges/{id}",
"webhook_verification": "v4: header 'flutterwave-signature' = base64(HMAC-SHA256(rawBody, secretHash)); compared constant-time over the RAW bytes. This REPLACES v3's plain 'verif-hash' equality check — the header name and scheme both changed.",
"raw_status_values": ["succeeded", "pending", "processing", "requires_requery", "requires_otp", "failed", "cancelled"],
"status_map": {
"succeeded": "paid",
"successful": "paid",
"completed": "paid",
"charge.completed": "paid",
"pending": "pending",
"processing": "pending",
"requires_requery": "pending",
"requires_otp": "pending",
"requires_pin": "pending",
"requires_additional_fields": "pending",
"failed": "failed",
"cancelled": "failed",
"error": "failed",
"refunded": "refunded",
"refund.completed": "refunded",
"disputed": "disputed",
"dispute.created": "disputed",
"chargeback.created": "disputed"
},
"requires_requery_note": "GET /charges/{id} may return requires_requery — wait ~20s and re-GET; do NOT re-charge."
},
"capabilities": {
"redirect": true,
"poll": true,
"webhook": true,
"mobile_push": true,
"refund": true,
"recurring": true
},
"credentials_required": [
{ "key": "clientId", "label": "Client ID", "secret": false, "note": "v4 OAuth client id (Settings → API Keys). Distinct from the legacy FLWSECK- v3 key." },
{ "key": "clientSecret", "label": "Client Secret", "secret": true, "note": "v4 OAuth client secret; exchanged for a 10-minute Bearer token at the IdP token endpoint." },
{ "key": "encryptionKey", "label": "Encryption Key", "secret": true, "note": "base64 → 32-byte AES-256 key used for direct card-field encryption (not needed for mobile money / bank)." },
{ "key": "secretHash", "label": "Webhook Secret Hash", "secret": true, "note": "Settings → Webhooks; HMAC-SHA256 key that verifies the 'flutterwave-signature' header." }
],
"sandbox": {
"base": "https://developersandbox-api.flutterwave.com",
"scenario_header": "X-Scenario-Key",
"card_scenarios": "scenario:<v>&issuer:<v> (scenario: auth_pin, auth_pin_3ds, auth_3ds, auth_avs, auth_redirect; issuer: approved, insufficient_funds, incorrect_pin, expired_card, suspected_fraud, system_error)",
"other_method_scenarios": "scenario:<v> (e.g. auth_redirect)",
"notes": "v4 outcomes are scenario-driven via X-Scenario-Key rather than fixed test PANs. Omit the header → card defaults to noauth."
},
"pain_points": [
{ "problem": "v3 integration breaks after migrating to v4", "cause": "v4 changes auth (OAuth vs static FLWSECK- key), the initiate endpoint (/orchestration/direct-charges vs /v3/payments), card encryption (AES-256-GCM fields vs none), and the webhook header (flutterwave-signature HMAC vs plain verif-hash)", "mitigation": "Treat the API version as a hard config boundary; do not port v3 code path-by-path — rebuild against the v4 orchestration + OAuth + HMAC scheme", "severity": "critical", "source": "https://developer.flutterwave.com/docs" },
{ "problem": "OAuth access token expires mid-request", "cause": "v4 client-credentials tokens live only ~10 minutes", "mitigation": "Cache the token per clientId, refresh ~60s before expiry, and re-auth once on a 401 before failing", "severity": "high", "source": "https://developer.flutterwave.com/docs/authentication" },
{ "problem": "Card charge rejected / decrypt error", "cause": "Wrong AES-256-GCM setup — key not base64-decoded to 32 bytes, IV not the 12-char nonce, or the GCM tag placed wrongly", "mitigation": "base64-decode the Encryption Key to 32 bytes, use the 12-char nonce as the IV (echoed in card.nonce), and append the 16-byte tag to the ciphertext before base64; verify against an official SDK", "severity": "high", "source": "https://developer.flutterwave.com/docs" },
{ "problem": "Webhook signature check fails after upgrade", "cause": "Still comparing v3's plain 'verif-hash' header; v4 sends 'flutterwave-signature' = base64(HMAC-SHA256(rawBody, secretHash))", "mitigation": "Verify the new header as an HMAC over the RAW body bytes with constant-time compare; never re-serialise the JSON before hashing", "severity": "critical", "source": "https://developer.flutterwave.com/docs/webhooks" },
{ "problem": "Marking an order paid on the redirect return or an unverified webhook", "cause": "next_action.redirect_url and inbound webhooks can be spoofed or replayed", "mitigation": "Always reconcile via GET /charges/{id} and confirm data.status === succeeded before fulfilling; handle requires_requery by waiting ~20s and re-querying (never re-charge)", "severity": "critical", "source": "https://developer.flutterwave.com/docs" },
{ "problem": "Duplicate charges on retry", "cause": "A reset connection re-POSTs the same charge", "mitigation": "Send a UUID X-Idempotency-Key on every POST; Flutterwave returns X-Idempotency-Cache-Hit on a replay", "severity": "medium", "source": "https://developer.flutterwave.com/docs" }
],
"sdks": { "node": "flutterwave (v4)", "rest_direct_ok": true },
"notes": "Zimbabwe is NOT a supported Flutterwave merchant/settlement country — a ZW business cannot onboard for local settlement. Flutterwave is only useful to ManishaPay for regional/USD/diaspora collections (NG, GH, KE, ZA, etc.); route Zimbabwe-local payments to PayNow. Built on the CURRENT default v4 API (OAuth client-credentials, orchestration direct-charges, AES-256-GCM card encryption, HMAC 'flutterwave-signature' webhook).",
"sources": [
"https://developer.flutterwave.com/docs",
"https://developer.flutterwave.com/docs/authentication",
"https://developer.flutterwave.com/docs/webhooks",
"https://developer.flutterwave.com/docs/direct-charges",
"https://developer.flutterwave.com/docs/testing"
],
"verification": {
"verified": true,
"verified_notes": "v4 OAuth token + mobile-money orchestrator direct-charge verified live against the sandbox (real chg_ id + hosted redirect). Reference must be alphanumeric; customer.phone must be an object {country_code, number}.",
"unverified_fields": [
"production base host (f4bexperience.flutterwave.com vs api.flutterwave.cloud/f4b/production)",
"refund request body schema (charge_id/reference + amount)",
"full charge status enum",
"card AES-256-GCM path (only mobile-money charge tested live; verify card encryption vs official SDK)"
],
"last_updated": "2026-07-18"
}
}
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