Stripe Technology Intelligence

What is Stripe?

Stripe is a technology company providing payment processing infrastructure for internet businesses. Founded by Patrick and John Collison in 2010, Stripe enables businesses of all sizes to accept payments, manage subscriptions, send payouts, and handle complex financial operations through APIs.

Stripe processes hundreds of billions of dollars annually for millions of businesses including Amazon, Google, Shopify, and Zoom. Its developer-first approach, comprehensive documentation, and elegant APIs made it the preferred choice for startups and enterprises alike.

Beyond payments, Stripe offers Stripe Connect for marketplaces, Stripe Billing for subscriptions, Stripe Atlas for company incorporation, and Stripe Issuing for creating cards. The platform handles PCI compliance, fraud prevention, and global payment methods.

Stripe Features

Stripe Payments: Accept cards, wallets, and bank transfers. 135+ currencies supported. Apple Pay, Google Pay integration. Buy now pay later options.

Stripe Checkout: Pre-built, hosted payment page. Optimized conversion. Automatic tax calculation. Mobile-responsive design.

Stripe Elements: Customizable UI components. Embed in your design. Client-side validation. Secure tokenization.

Stripe Billing: Subscription management. Usage-based billing. Invoicing and quotes. Revenue recovery.

Stripe Connect: Marketplace payments. Split payments. Onboarding for sellers. Platform fee collection.

Stripe Radar: Machine learning fraud prevention. Custom rules engine. 3D Secure integration. Disputes management.

Stripe Use Cases

E-commerce: One-time purchases and checkout. Multi-currency support. Saved payment methods. Order management integration.

SaaS Subscriptions: Recurring billing automation. Trial periods and upgrades. Metered usage billing. Dunning management.

Marketplaces: Stripe Connect for platforms. Seller onboarding. Split payments. Instant payouts.

On-Demand Services: Pay-as-you-go billing. Tipping and gratuities. Hold and capture. Multi-party payments.

Donations: Nonprofit payment processing. Recurring donations. Tax-deductible receipts. Donor management.

B2B Payments: Invoice payments. ACH and wire transfers. Net terms. Bulk payouts.

Stripe Implementation

Payment Integration Examples

// Server-side: Create Checkout Session (Node.js)
const stripe = require('stripe')('sk_test_...');

app.post('/create-checkout-session', async (req, res) => {
  const session = await stripe.checkout.sessions.create({
    payment_method_types: ['card'],
    line_items: [{
      price_data: {
        currency: 'usd',
        product_data: { name: 'Premium Plan' },
        unit_amount: 2999, // $29.99
      },
      quantity: 1,
    }],
    mode: 'payment', // or 'subscription'
    success_url: 'https://example.com/success',
    cancel_url: 'https://example.com/cancel',
  });
  res.json({ url: session.url });
});

// Webhook handling
app.post('/webhook', express.raw({type: 'application/json'}),
  (req, res) => {
    const sig = req.headers['stripe-signature'];
    const event = stripe.webhooks.constructEvent(
      req.body, sig, 'whsec_...'
    );

    switch (event.type) {
      case 'checkout.session.completed':
        // Fulfill the order
        break;
      case 'customer.subscription.updated':
        // Update subscription status
        break;
    }
    res.json({received: true});
  }
);

// Client-side: Stripe Elements
const stripe = Stripe('pk_test_...');
const elements = stripe.elements();
const card = elements.create('card');
card.mount('#card-element');

Stripe Benefits

Developer Experience: Elegant, well-documented APIs. SDKs for every language. Comprehensive testing tools. Quick integration.

PCI Compliance: Stripe handles PCI requirements. Tokenization keeps cards off your servers. Certified Level 1 Service Provider. Security built-in.

Global Payments: Accept 135+ currencies. Local payment methods. Multi-currency pricing. International expansion simplified.

Fraud Prevention: Radar's ML-based detection. Custom rules available. 3D Secure support. Chargeback protection.

Unified Platform: Payments, subscriptions, invoicing in one. Single dashboard. Consolidated reporting. Fewer integrations needed.

Continuous Innovation: Regular feature releases. New payment methods added. API versioning. Backward compatibility.

Reliability: 99.99%+ uptime. Instant failover. Global infrastructure. Enterprise-grade reliability.