API Standards and Protocols
Transport and Data Format
| Component | Specification |
|---|---|
| Transport Protocol | HTTPS with TLS 1.2 or above |
| Data Format | JSON for both request and response bodies |
| Content-Type Header | application/json (required) |
Signature and Verification
| Component | Specification |
|---|---|
| Signature Algorithm | HMAC-SHA512 |
| Request Signing | All merchant requests must be signed using the HMAC-SHA512 algorithm. |
| Callback Verification | All callbacks sent by GatePay must be verified by the merchant using the same algorithm. |
Response Evaluation
Always evaluate API responses using this process:- Check the HTTP status code first
- Then examine the
status,code,label, anderrorMessagefields in the response body - Extract business data from the
datafield if the request was successful
Unified Response Structure
All GatePay API responses follow this standardized structure:| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
status | string | Result status: SUCCESS indicates successful execution; FAIL indicates failure. |
code | string | Error code (empty in successful responses). |
label | string | Error name or identifier (empty in successful responses). |
errorMessage | string | Human-readable error description (empty in successful responses). |
data | object / array / string / null | Business data returned by the API. Empty in failed responses. |
Request Parameter Standards
Merchant Order Number (merchantTradeNo)
The merchant order number is a unique identifier you assign to each transaction:
| Property | Specification |
|---|---|
| Character Set | ASCII half-width characters only: letters (a-z, A-Z), digits (0-9), hyphen (-), underscore (_) |
| Maximum Length | 100 characters |
| Uniqueness | Must be unique within your merchant account |
| Retry Policy | When retrying the same business transaction, you must reuse the original merchantTradeNo to ensure idempotency |
Transaction Amount
| Property | Specification |
|---|---|
| Data Type | String (numeric value as a string) |
| Decimal Precision | Up to 6 decimal places |
| Minimum Per Transaction | 0.0001 |
| Maximum Per Transaction | 5,000,000 |
| Maximum QR Collection Amount | 10,000 (for personal QR code collections) |
Timestamp Format
| Property | Specification |
|---|---|
| Format | Unix timestamp in milliseconds (UTC timezone) |
Request Headers and Signing
Required Request Headers
Every API request must include these headers:| Header | Description |
|---|---|
X-GatePay-Certificate-ClientId | Your ClientId as assigned when you created your application (see Integration Overview). |
X-GatePay-Timestamp | Current UTC timestamp in milliseconds when the request is created. Requests with a time drift greater than 10 seconds will be rejected. |
X-GatePay-Nonce | A random string to prevent replay attacks. Recommended length is 32 characters or less, containing only letters and digits. |
X-GatePay-Signature | The computed request signature (see Signature Generation steps below). |
X-GatePay-On-Behalf-Of | (Optional) Institution sub-account ID if using delegated access. |
Signature String Format
The signature is computed from a string containing three lines, each ending with a newline character (\n):
<request_timestamp>is the value ofX-GatePay-Timestamp<request_nonce>is the value ofX-GatePay-Nonce<request_body>is the raw JSON body of the request, or an empty string if there is no body
Signature Generation Steps
Follow these steps to compute theX-GatePay-Signature header value:
- Generate a unique
X-GatePay-Timestamp(current UTC time in milliseconds) - Generate a random
X-GatePay-Nonce(32 characters or less, letters and digits only) - Read the raw JSON request body as
request_body; use an empty string if there is no body - Construct the signature string:
timestamp\nnonce\nbody\n - Compute HMAC-SHA512 using your Payment API Secret as the key
- Encode the result in Base64 (if required by your implementation)
- Place the computed signature into the
X-GatePay-Signatureheader
Example Request Structure
Payment Result Callbacks
Callback Overview
GatePay sends asynchronous payment notifications to your configured callback URL via HTTP POST requests. These notifications inform your system of payment status changes. For comprehensive details on callback events and handling, refer to the Notification Callback guide.Callback Payload Structure
GatePay will POST a JSON payload with the following structure:| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
bizType | string | The type of business event (e.g., TRANSFER_ADDRESS, PAYMENT_ORDER). |
bizId | string | The unique identifier for the payment order or business transaction. |
bizStatus | string | The current status of the transaction (e.g., TRANSFERRED_ADDRESS_DELAY, SUCCESS). |
client_id | string | The client_id associated with the payment order. |
data | string | Business-specific data as a JSON string. The structure depends on bizType. |
Expected Callback Response
Your callback endpoint must respond with a JSON object indicating successful processing:| Field | Values | Description |
|---|---|---|
returnCode | SUCCESS | FAIL | SUCCESS indicates the callback was processed successfully; FAIL indicates processing failed. |
returnMessage | string | Human-readable message explaining the result (empty string for success). |
Callback Verification Steps
Every callback you receive must be verified to ensure it originated from GatePay and has not been tampered with:- Extract the
X-GatePay-Timestampheader from the incoming callback request - Extract the
X-GatePay-Nonceheader from the incoming callback request - Extract the
X-GatePay-Signatureheader from the incoming callback request - Read the raw JSON callback request body
- Construct the signature string using the format:
timestamp\nnonce\nbody\n - Compute HMAC-SHA512 using your Payment API Secret as the key
- Compare the computed signature with the
X-GatePay-Signatureheader value - Only process the callback if the signatures match exactly
Callback Request Headers
When GatePay sends a callback to your endpoint, it includes these headers:| Header | Description |
|---|---|
X-GatePay-Timestamp | The timestamp when GatePay sent the callback. |
X-GatePay-Nonce | A random string included in the signature. |
X-GatePay-Signature | The HMAC-SHA512 signature computed by GatePay. |
Tools and Resources
Signature Verification Tool
GatePay provides an online tool to help you debug and verify signatures during development: GatePay Signature Verification Tool This tool allows you to:- Test signature generation with sample data
- Verify computed signatures match expected values
- Debug signature-related integration issues
Error Handling
For a comprehensive list of error codes and best practices for handling API errors, see the Error Codes and Best Practices guide.Security Best Practices
- Secure Key Storage: Store your Payment API Secret and Authorization Secret securely on your server. Never expose these secrets in client-side code or version control.
- Nonce Uniqueness: Ensure each request uses a unique nonce to prevent replay attacks.
- Timestamp Validation: Always validate that incoming callback timestamps are within an acceptable time window (e.g., not older than 5 minutes).
- Signature Verification: Always verify callback signatures before processing any sensitive operations.
- HTTPS Only: All communication with GatePay must use HTTPS with TLS 1.2 or above.
- Callback Idempotency: Design your callback handler to be idempotent, as GatePay may retry callbacks if it does not receive a successful response.
- Error Messages: Do not expose sensitive information (such as keys or internal system details) in error messages returned to the client.
Related Documentation
- Integration Overview - App configuration and credential setup
- Notification Callback - Detailed callback event handling
- Error Codes and Best Practices - Error code reference and troubleshooting

