Install Stripe PHP Library
- Ensure that the Stripe PHP library is installed in your project using Composer. Run the following command to install it:
composer require stripe/stripe-php
Initialize Stripe Client
- Before making any API calls, initialize the Stripe client with your secret API key. Securely store this key, ideally in an environment variable, to avoid hardcoding sensitive information in your source code.
require 'vendor/autoload.php';
\Stripe\Stripe::setApiKey(getenv('STRIPE_SECRET_KEY'));
Create a Token with Card Details
- To validate a credit card, you'll first need to create a token using the card details. Please make sure that you're not handling sensitive credit card data directly in your server. Ideally, you should create the token on the client-side using Stripe.js and pass it to your server for further processing.
try {
$token = \Stripe\Token::create([
'card' => [
'number' => '4242424242424242',
'exp_month' => 12,
'exp_year' => 2023,
'cvc' => '123',
],
]);
} catch (\Stripe\Exception\ApiErrorException $e) {
// Handle error appropriately
echo 'Error creating token: ' . $e->getMessage();
exit;
}
Validate the Token
- Once the token is generated, verify its creation. If no exceptions were caught during its creation, you generally assume that the card is valid. However, additional checks can be performed if needed, such as ensuring token type and existence of card details.
if ($token && isset($token->id)) {
echo 'The card token is valid: ' . $token->id;
} else {
echo 'Invalid card token.';
}
Additional Validation with Stripe Charge
- Creating a token does not fully validate the card. To perform a true validation, attempt creating a charge or making a zero-dollar authorization request. Zero-dollar authorization is a way to validate the card without actually charging it.
try {
$charge = \Stripe\Charge::create([
'amount' => 0, // or any minimal chargeable amount in cents
'currency' => 'usd',
'source' => $token->id,
'capture' => false, // Do not capture the charge, just authorize
]);
echo 'Card validation successful.';
} catch (\Stripe\Exception\CardException $e) {
echo 'Card validation failed: ' . $e->getMessage();
}
Handle Potential Errors
- Stripe API might throw multiple exceptions for different errors. Handle these exceptions gracefully to ensure a smooth user experience. Consider implementing a generic exception handler to manage unforeseen errors.
try {
// Code for token creation or charge
} catch (\Stripe\Exception\ApiErrorException $e) {
// Basic API error
echo 'Stripe API error: ' . $e->getMessage();
} catch (\Stripe\Exception\CardException $e) {
// Problem with the card
echo 'Card declined: ' . $e->getMessage();
} catch (Exception $e) {
// Other potential errors
echo 'General error occurred: ' . $e->getMessage();
}
Security Best Practices
- Always clean and validate all inputs your server receives.
- Use HTTPS to protect data in transit.
- Consider PCI compliance requirements and ensure you're not storing any credit card details on your server.
- Limit your server logs to avoid storing sensitive information unintentionally.
