How to Integrate the Stripe Payment Gateway into a Laravel 9 Application

Integrating a payment gateway into your Laravel application is essential if you want to offer online payment options to your users. Stripe is a widely used payment processing platform that provides developers with robust tools and APIs to handle transactions securely. With Laravel 9, you have access to the latest features and enhancements that make integrating Stripe a breeze.

Before we dive into the details of integrating Stripe with Laravel 9, let’s take a moment to understand why Stripe is a popular choice among developers. Stripe offers a wide range of features and benefits that make it an ideal payment gateway for businesses of all sizes.

First and foremost, Stripe is known for its simplicity and ease of use. Setting up a Stripe account is straightforward, and the platform provides clear documentation and resources to guide you through the integration process. Whether you’re a seasoned developer or new to payment gateways, Stripe makes it easy to get started.

Another key advantage of using Stripe is its robust security measures. Stripe is PCI compliant, meaning it meets the highest standards of security in handling sensitive payment information. By using Stripe, you can ensure that your users’ data is protected and transactions are processed securely.

Furthermore, Stripe offers a wide range of payment options, including credit cards, digital wallets, and even local payment methods. This flexibility allows you to cater to a global audience and provide a seamless payment experience for users from different countries and regions.

Now that we understand the benefits of using Stripe let’s move on to the integration process with Laravel 9. Laravel provides a clean and elegant framework for building web applications, and integrating Stripe into your Laravel project is no exception.

In the next sections of this blog post, we will explore the step-by-step process of integrating Stripe into a Laravel 9 application. We will cover everything from setting up a Stripe account to handling payment callbacks and displaying payment information to users. By the end of this tutorial, you will have a solid understanding of how to integrate Stripe into your Laravel 9 application and provide a seamless payment experience for your users.

Prerequisites

Before we begin, make sure you have the following:

• A Laravel 9 application set up and running
• A Stripe account
• The Laravel Cashier package installed

Setting up a Laravel 9 application is a straightforward process. You need to have PHP and Composer installed on your system. Once you have them installed, you can create a new Laravel project by running the following command in your terminal:

composer create-project --prefer-dist laravel/laravel my-project

This will create a new Laravel project in a directory named “my-project”. You can choose any other name for your project.

Next, navigate to the project directory by running:

cd my-project

Now, you can start the Laravel development server by running:

php artisan serve

This will start the server, and you can access your Laravel application by visiting http://localhost:8000 in your web browser.

Once your Laravel application is up and running, you need to create a Stripe account. Stripe is a popular payment processing platform that allows businesses to accept payments online. You can sign up for a Stripe account on their website and follow the instructions to set up your account.

After creating your Stripe account, you need to install the Laravel Cashier package. Laravel Cashier provides an expressive, fluent interface to Stripe’s subscription billing services. You can install it by running the following command in your Laravel project directory:

composer require laravel/cashier

This will install the Laravel Cashier package and its dependencies. Once the installation is complete, you need to configure your Stripe API keys in the config/services.php file of your Laravel application. You can find your API keys in your Stripe account dashboard.

With all the prerequisites in place, you are now ready to integrate Stripe payments into your Laravel 9 application using Laravel Cashier.

Step 1: Install Laravel Cashier

The Laravel Cashier package provides a simple and fluent interface to Stripe’s subscription billing services. To install it, open your terminal and navigate to your Laravel application’s directory. Then, run the following command:

composer require laravel/cashier

Now that you have installed Laravel Cashier, you can start using its powerful features to handle subscription billing in your Laravel application. Laravel Cashier is built on top of Stripe, a popular payment processing platform that allows you to easily manage subscriptions, handle payments, and more. With Laravel Cashier, you can seamlessly integrate Stripe’s subscription billing services into your Laravel application. This package provides a clean and intuitive API that makes it easy to handle subscription plans, manage customers, and process payments. To get started, you will need to set up a Stripe account and obtain your API keys. These keys will allow your Laravel application to communicate with Stripe’s API and handle all the necessary billing operations. Once you have your API keys, you can configure them in your Laravel application’s environment file. In addition to the basic installation, Laravel Cashier also provides a set of powerful features that allow you to handle various aspects of subscription billing. For example, you can easily create and manage subscription plans, handle trial periods, offer coupons and discounts, and handle subscription cancellations and upgrades. Furthermore, Laravel Cashier provides a seamless integration with Laravel’s authentication system, allowing you to easily handle user authentication and authorization in your subscription-based application. With Laravel Cashier, you can effortlessly authenticate users, restrict access to certain features or content based on their subscription status, and more. In conclusion, installing Laravel Cashier is the first step towards implementing a robust subscription billing system in your Laravel application. With its intuitive API and seamless integration with Stripe, Laravel Cashier provides all the tools you need to handle subscription billing with ease. So go ahead and install Laravel Cashier, and start building your subscription-based application today!

Step 2: Set Up Stripe API Keys

Next, you need to set up your Stripe API keys. Log in to your Stripe account and navigate to the API keys section. You will find two keys: a secret key and a publishable key. Copy these keys as we will need them in the next step.

Once you have copied the API keys, it’s important to securely store them. These keys are like the passwords to your Stripe account, so you should treat them with the same level of care and security. One way to store them securely is by using a password manager. Password managers are tools that securely store your passwords and allow you to easily retrieve them when needed. They encrypt your passwords and require a master password to access them.

There are several password manager options available, both free and paid. Some popular choices include LastPass, 1Password, and Dashlane. These password managers not only securely store your passwords but also offer additional features like password generation and automatic form filling. They are compatible with different devices and browsers, making it convenient to access your API keys from anywhere.

Once you have chosen a password manager, create a new entry for your Stripe API keys. Enter the secret key and publishable key in the appropriate fields. Make sure to give the entry a clear name so that you can easily identify it later. It’s also a good practice to periodically change your API keys and update them in your password manager.

Remember to keep your master password for the password manager secure and unique. Avoid using common phrases or personal information that can be easily guessed. Instead, use a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols to create a strong and secure master password.

By securely storing your Stripe API keys, you can ensure the safety of your Stripe account and protect your customers’ payment information. It’s an important step in setting up your Stripe integration and maintaining the security of your online transactions.

Step 3: Configure Laravel Cashier

Open the config/services.php file in your Laravel application and add the following code:

'stripe' => [
    'model' => AppModelsUser::class,
    'key' => env('STRIPE_KEY'),
    'secret' => env('STRIPE_SECRET'),
],

Next, open the .env file and add your Stripe API keys:

STRIPE_KEY=your_stripe_publishable_key
STRIPE_SECRET=your_stripe_secret_key

Now that you have configured Laravel Cashier with your Stripe API keys, you can start using its features to handle your subscription billing. Laravel Cashier provides a fluent, expressive syntax for working with Stripe’s subscription billing services. One of the key features of Laravel Cashier is its ability to handle subscription billing for your application’s users. By integrating with Stripe, Laravel Cashier allows you to easily manage subscription plans, handle recurring billing, and provide a seamless user experience. To get started with subscription billing, you will need to define your subscription plans in your Laravel application. This can be done by creating a new model, such as `Plan`, and defining the necessary attributes for each plan, such as the name, price, and duration. Once you have defined your subscription plans, you can use Laravel Cashier’s fluent syntax to create subscriptions for your users. For example, you can use the `newSubscription` method on a user instance to create a new subscription: “`php $user->newSubscription(‘default’, ‘plan_id’)->create(); “` This will create a new subscription for the user with the specified plan. Laravel Cashier will handle all of the necessary API calls to Stripe to create the subscription and associate it with the user. In addition to creating subscriptions, Laravel Cashier also provides methods for managing subscriptions, such as canceling, resuming, and changing plans. These methods make it easy to handle common subscription management tasks without having to manually interact with the Stripe API. With Laravel Cashier, you can also handle one-time charges, such as for additional services or products. By using the `charge` method on a user instance, you can create a one-time charge for the user: “`php $user->charge(1000, ‘product_id’); “` This will create a one-time charge for the specified amount and associate it with the user. Laravel Cashier will handle the necessary API calls to Stripe to process the charge. Overall, Laravel Cashier provides a powerful and intuitive way to handle subscription billing in your Laravel application. By integrating with Stripe, Laravel Cashier simplifies the process of managing subscriptions, handling recurring billing, and providing a seamless user experience. Now that we have created the payment form, let’s take a closer look at the code and understand how it works. Firstly, we have a `