Acquirer Flow vs. Direct Integration
Why managing multiple direct integrations creates unnecessary complexity
Feature
With Acquirer Flow
Direct Integration
API Interface
Single unified API
Multiple different APIs
Code Changes to Switch
Zero (3 line config change)
Complete rewrite required
Testing Environments
One sandbox
Separate sandbox per acquirer
Error Handling
Normalized across all acquirers
Custom logic per acquirer
Documentation
Single source of truth
Multiple docs to maintain
Authentication
One API key
Multiple keys to manage
Webhook Management
Unified webhook endpoint
Separate endpoint per acquirer
Response Format
Consistent JSON structure
Different formats per acquirer
Version Updates
Automatic with compatibility
Manual updates required
Multi-Acquirer Support
Built-in with routing
Complex custom logic needed
The Multiplication Problem
With Direct Integration
3 acquirers × 5 payment methods × 10 regions =
150
integration points to manage
- 150 potential points of failure
- 150 code paths to test
- 150 areas to monitor
With Acquirer Flow
1 API × 1 integration =
1
integration point to manage
- Single point of integration
- One code path to test
- Simplified monitoring