easypay-api/api/README.md

# Payment Processing API - Implementation Guide

## 🎯 Overview

This implementation extends the existing EasyPay application to support external payment initiation via a secure JSON API, without breaking or altering any existing internal payment workflows.

## ✅ What Was Implemented

### 1. **Core Architecture**

- **`includes/PaymentProcessor.php`**: Encapsulates all payment processing logic
  - Single source of truth for payment operations
  - Used by both web UI and API
  - Maintains all existing business rules
  - Atomic transactions with rollback on error

- **`includes/ApiValidator.php`**: Handles API validation and security
  - Request validation (method, headers, content-type)
  - API key authentication (optional)
  - Input sanitization
  - Business rule validation

### 2. **API Endpoint**

- **`api/payments/process.php`**: Main API endpoint
  - Accepts JSON POST requests
  - Validates all inputs
  - Reuses PaymentProcessor for business logic
  - Returns structured JSON responses
  - Logs all API requests

### 3. **Configuration**

- **`config/api_config.php`**: API settings

  - API key management

  - Authentication toggle

  - Logging configuration

  - CORS settings



### 4. **Documentation & Testing**



- **`api/API_DOCUMENTATION.md`**: Comprehensive API documentation
- **`api/test.html`**: Interactive API testing tool
- **`api/.htaccess`**: Clean URLs and security headers

## 📁 File Structure

```

easypay/

├── api/

│   ├── payments/

│   │   └── process.php          # Main API endpoint

│   ├── .htaccess                # URL routing & security

│   ├── API_DOCUMENTATION.md     # Full API docs

│   └── test.html                # API testing tool

├── config/

│   └── api_config.php           # API configuration

├── includes/

│   ├── PaymentProcessor.php     # Core payment logic

│   └── ApiValidator.php         # API validation

├── logs/

│   └── api.log                  # API request logs (auto-created)

├── db_config.php                # Database connection

├── index.php                    # Web UI (unchanged)

├── process_payment.php          # Web payment handler (unchanged)

└── ajax_handlers.php            # AJAX endpoints (unchanged)

```

## 🚀 Quick Start

### 1. Access the API

**Endpoint URL:**
```

POST http://your-domain.com/easypay/api/payments/process

```

### 2. Test the API

Open the testing tool in your browser:
```

http://your-domain.com/easypay/api/test.html

```

### 3. Send a Request

**Example Request:**
```bash

curl -X POST http://localhost/easypay/api/payments/process \

  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \

  -d '{

    "student_id": "000001234567890123",

    "teller_no": "1234567890",

    "amount": 50000

  }'

```

**Example Response:**
```json

{

  "status": "success",

  "message": "Payment processed successfully",

  "data": {

    "student_id": "000001234567890123",

    "teller_no": "1234567890",

    "amount": 50000.00,

    "payment_id": "000001234567890123202420260109",

    "receipt_no": "STU001202420260109",

    "payment_date": "2026-01-09",

    "fees_settled": [...]

  }

}

```

## 🔐 Security Configuration

### Enable API Key Authentication

1. Edit `config/api_config.php`:

```php

// Enable authentication

define('API_AUTH_ENABLED', true);



// Add your API keys

define('API_KEYS', [

    'your-secret-key-123' => 'External System 1',

    'another-secret-key-456' => 'Mobile App'

]);

```

2. Include API key in requests:

```bash

curl -X POST http://localhost/easypay/api/payments/process \

  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \

  -H "Authorization: Bearer your-secret-key-123" \

  -d '{...}'

```

## ✨ Key Features

### ✅ Backward Compatibility
- **Zero changes** to existing web UI
- **Zero changes** to existing payment logic
- **Zero changes** to database schema
- Web and API use the same payment processor

### ✅ Validation & Security
- ✓ Student ID validation (must exist and be active)
- ✓ Teller number validation (must exist with unreconciled amount)
- ✓ Amount validation (positive, within limits)
- ✓ Duplicate prevention (one payment per student per day)
- ✓ SQL injection protection (prepared statements)
- ✓ Input sanitization
- ✓ Optional API key authentication
- ✓ Transaction integrity (atomic operations)

### ✅ Automatic Payment Allocation
- Fetches all outstanding fees for the student
- Sorts fees by session/term (oldest first)
- Allocates payment automatically
- Fully settles fees before moving to next
- Partial settlement of last fee if needed

### ✅ Comprehensive Logging
- All API requests logged to `logs/api.log`
- Includes timestamp, IP, request, response, status
- Can be disabled in config

### ✅ Error Handling
- Structured error responses
- Appropriate HTTP status codes
- Detailed validation errors
- Transaction rollback on failure

## 🧪 Testing Checklist

### Test Cases

1. **✓ Valid Payment**
   - Send valid student_id, teller_no, amount
   - Expect HTTP 201 with payment details

2. **✓ Invalid Student**
   - Send non-existent student_id

   - Expect HTTP 404 "Student not found"



3. **✓ Invalid Teller**

   - Send non-existent teller_no
   - Expect HTTP 404 "Teller number not found"

4. **✓ Excessive Amount**
   - Send amount > unreconciled amount
   - Expect HTTP 400 "Amount exceeds..."

5. **✓ Duplicate Payment**
   - Send two payments for same student on same day
   - Expect HTTP 500 with duplicate error

6. **✓ Missing Fields**
   - Send request without required fields
   - Expect HTTP 400 with validation errors

7. **✓ Invalid JSON**
   - Send malformed JSON
   - Expect HTTP 400 "Invalid JSON"

8. **✓ Wrong Content-Type**
   - Send without application/json header
   - Expect HTTP 400 "Invalid Content-Type"

9. **✓ Invalid API Key** (if auth enabled)
   - Send with wrong API key
   - Expect HTTP 401 "Invalid API key"

## 📊 Database Impact

The API writes to the same tables as the web UI:

| Table | Purpose |
|-------|---------|
| `tb_account_school_fee_payments` | Individual fee payments |
| `tb_account_school_fee_sum_payments` | Aggregated payments |
| `tb_account_student_payments` | Cumulative payment tracking |
| `tb_account_payment_registers` | Receipt records |
| `tb_student_logistics` | Outstanding balance updates |

**All operations are atomic** - if any step fails, all changes are rolled back.

## 🔍 Monitoring & Debugging

### View API Logs

```bash

# View last 20 API requests

tail -n 20 logs/api.log



# Watch logs in real-time

tail -f logs/api.log

```

### Enable Debug Mode

In `api/payments/process.php`, change:

```php

error_reporting(E_ALL);

ini_set('display_errors', 1); // Enable for debugging

```

## 🛠️ Troubleshooting

### "Database connection failed"
- Check `db_config.php` credentials
- Ensure MySQL is running
- Verify network connectivity

### "Student not found"
- Verify student exists in `tb_student_registrations`
- Check `admission_status = 'Active'`

### "Teller number not found"
- Verify teller in `tb_account_bank_statements`
- Check description format (teller is last word)

### "No outstanding fees found"
- Check `tb_account_receivables` for student
- Verify fees have outstanding balance

### API returns HTML instead of JSON
- Check for PHP errors in the file
- Enable error logging to see issues
- Verify all required files are present

## 📝 Implementation Notes

### Design Decisions

1. **PaymentProcessor Class**: Extracted payment logic into a reusable class to ensure both web and API use identical business rules.

2. **Automatic Fee Selection**: The API automatically fetches and allocates to outstanding fees, simplifying the external system's integration.

3. **Source Tracking**: Payments are marked with `source = 'api'` for audit purposes.

4. **Current Date**: API uses current date for payments (not configurable via API for security).

5. **Optional Authentication**: API key auth is optional to allow easy testing and gradual rollout.

### Future Enhancements

- Rate limiting per API key
- Webhook notifications for payment status
- Batch payment processing
- Payment reversal endpoint
- Custom payment date (with authorization)
- IP whitelisting

## 📚 Student API Endpoints

### 1. **Get Last Payment Receipt Image**

**Endpoint:** `GET /api/students/last_receipt`

**Description:** Returns the receipt image (PNG) of the last payment made by a student.

**Parameters:**
- `student_id` (required): The student's unique ID

**Example Request:**
```bash

curl -X GET "http://localhost/easypay/api/students/last_receipt?student_id=000001234567890123" \

  --output receipt.png

```

**Success Response:**
- **Content-Type:** `image/png`
- **Body:** Binary PNG image data

**Error Responses:**
```json

// Student ID missing

{

  "status": "error",

  "message": "Student ID is required"

}



// Student not found

{

  "status": "error",

  "message": "Student not found or inactive"

}



// No payment records

{

  "status": "error",

  "message": "No payment records found for this student"

}

```

### 2. **Get Payment Status**

**Endpoint:** `GET /api/students/payment_status`

**Description:** Returns payment status for a specific term.

**Parameters:**
- `student_id` (required): The student's unique ID
- `academic_session` (required): Academic session (e.g., 2025)
- `term` (required): Term number (e.g., 1, 2, 3)

### 3. **Get Student Balance**

**Endpoint:** `GET /api/students/balance`

**Description:** Returns the current outstanding balance for a student.

**Parameters:**
- `student_id` (required): The student's unique ID

### 4. **Get Student Invoice**

**Endpoint:** `GET /api/students/invoice`

**Description:** Returns detailed invoice information for a student.

**Parameters:**
- `student_id` (required): The student's unique ID
- `academic_session` (optional): Filter by academic session
- `term` (optional): Filter by term

## 🎓 Usage Examples

See `api/API_DOCUMENTATION.md` for detailed examples in:
- cURL
- PHP
- JavaScript (Fetch API)
- Python

## 📞 Support

For issues or questions:
1. Check the API documentation
2. Review the logs in `logs/api.log`
3. Use the test tool at `api/test.html`
4. Contact your system administrator

## 📜 License

Internal use only - ARPS School Management System

---

**Version:** 1.0  
**Date:** 2026-01-09  
**Author:** Senior PHP Backend Engineer