How to Use PayPal Subscriptions API with Node.js?

If you’re building a subscription-based app, PayPal’s Subscriptions API can make your life easy. It provides a simple way to take recurring payments from customers. In this tutorial, we’ll show you how to use the PayPal Subscriptions API with Node.js and create subscriptions using a sandbox environment that mimics an actual PayPal account.

Set up a PayPal account

• Create a PayPal account.
• Add your payment method, if you don’t already have one (credit/debit card).
• Review the terms of service and update your profile preferences if necessary.
• Set up sandbox environment by following these steps: https://developer.paypal.com/webapps/developer/docs/api_reference/subscriptions/#sandbox

Create a PayPal sandbox environment

To get started, you’ll need to create a sandbox environment. This will allow you to test the subscription flow in a safe environment.

• Sign up for PayPal Sandbox here: https://developer.paypal.com/en_US/SDKs/PayPal-API-Sandbox-Accounts/.
• Create an account and obtain an API key by following these instructions: https://developer.paypal.com/en_US/docs/api-reference/payment_methods/.

Once you’ve created an account and obtained an API key, proceed with the following steps:

Create a Node.js app

Now that you have PayPal’s subscription API, it’s time to create a Node.js application that uses it.

• Import the Express framework:
• Create a server and set up routes for handling requests from users:
• Add the PayPal subscription API to your server:
• Handle the payment details passed in by PayPal through a route called /subscribe:

Add a subscription payment method to your app

After you have the PayPal Subscriptions API imported, you can create a PayPal subscription payment method. This is done with the API’s createPaymentMethod function.

The first argument of this function is a string that defines how you want to handle subscriptions:

• “AUTO” – Automatically bill users each month based on their previous charges (default setting)
• “OFFER” – Customers must accept an offer before they can purchase items or services. Once they’ve accepted it, they may make multiple purchases without having to accept another offer again!

Define your subscription plans

When you’re creating your subscription plan, there are a few things to keep in mind:

• The subscription period. This is the length of time that someone will be charged for their subscription. For example, if you want someone to pay $7 per month for one year (12 months), then your plan would have a recurring payment period of 12 months and cost $84 total. If they choose not to cancel their subscription at any point during this time frame, PayPal will automatically charge them an additional 12-month fee every year until they cancel or end their plan manually.
• The price per unit or item purchased within your product line (e.g., $10/month). If this does not fit into one of our predefined price tiers listed above ($0-$9) then we recommend using Custom Pricing instead so that it doesn’t impact any other customers on our platform who may already be paying more than $9 per month because they’ve selected higher plans from us earlier on during checkout process when setting up their account.”

Create a subscription in the sandbox

To create a subscription in the sandbox, you’ll need to first create a subscription plan and then create a billing agreement.

• Create a subscription plan: To do this, use the API call [POST-https://api-sandbox.paypal.com/v1/billingAgreements](https://api-sandbox.paypal.com/v1/billingAgreements). This will return an object containing information about your new billing agreement including its name and description, as well as other details like whether it is active or inactive (see “Subscriptions” under “Billing Agreements”).
• Create a billing agreement: To do this, use the API call [POST https://api-sandbox.paypalobjectscontentmanagerrestfulmockupdatatestandardpaymentmethods](https://api-sandbox.paypalobjectscontentmanagerrestfulmockupdatatestandardpaymentmethods), which will return an object containing information about your new payment method including its name and description (see “Payment Methods” under “Billing Agreements”).

• You can use PayPal Subscriptions API with Node.js to create a simple app that allows users to sign up for recurring billing.
• Once you have your app ready, you can deploy it on Heroku or any other hosting platform of your choice.

In this article, we looked at how to use PayPal Subscriptions API with Node.js. We started off by setting up a PayPal account and creating a sandbox environment where we can test our code. Then we created a simple Express app that uses the Express-PayPal-Subscriptions module and set up subscriptions for testing purposes in our sandbox account. Finally, we talked about some best practices when using the API.

! Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to use the PayPal Subscriptions API with Node.js:

Step 1: Set Up a PayPal Developer Account

• Go to the PayPal Developer website (https://developer.paypal.com) and create an account.
• Navigate to the Dashboard and create a new application to obtain your API credentials.

Step 2: Set Up a Node.js Project

• Set up a new Node.js project or use an existing one.
• Open your project in a code editor and ensure that you have Node.js and npm installed.

Step 3: Install the PayPal Node SDK

• Open your project’s terminal or command prompt.
• Run the following command to install the PayPal Node SDK:npm install paypal-rest-sdk

Step 4: Import the PayPal SDK and Configure API Credentials

• In your Node.js file, require the PayPal SDK:var paypal = require('paypal-rest-sdk');
• Set up PayPal API credentials using your Client ID and Secret:paypal.configure({ 'mode': 'sandbox', // Change to 'live' for production 'client_id': 'YOUR_CLIENT_ID', 'client_secret': 'YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET'});

Step 5: Make API Calls

• You can now use the PayPal SDK to make various API calls, such as creating a subscription plan, activating a subscription, or canceling a subscription. Refer to the PayPal Subscriptions API documentation for the available endpoints.

Step 6: Handle Responses

• Handle the responses from PayPal API calls in your Node.js code.
• Depending on the response, you can perform actions such as updating your database or displaying a success message to the user.

That’s it! You now have a step-by-step guide on how to use the PayPal Subscriptions API with Node.js. Remember to refer to the PayPal API documentation for detailed information on available endpoints and request/response formats. Happy coding!

FAQ

1. Q: What is the PayPal Subscriptions API?
   A: The PayPal Subscriptions API allows you to manage subscription-based payments, enabling you to create, manage, and update subscription plans and handle recurring billing for your customers.
2. Q: How can I integrate the PayPal Subscriptions API with my Node.js application?
   A: To integrate the PayPal Subscriptions API with Node.js, you can use the PayPal Node SDK, which provides an easy-to-use interface for making API calls and handling responses.
3. Q: What are the prerequisites for using the PayPal Subscriptions API with Node.js?
   A: You need to have a PayPal Developer Account and obtain API credentials, such as the Client ID and Secret, from the PayPal Developer Dashboard.
4. Q: How do I create a new subscription plan?
   A: Using the PayPal Subscriptions API, you can make a POST request to the /v1/billing/plans endpoint with the necessary parameters and billing details to create a new subscription plan.
5. Q: Can I customize the billing frequency and amount for my subscription plans?
   A: Yes, you have the flexibility to set the billing frequency (daily, weekly, monthly, etc.) and amount for each subscription plan based on your specific requirements.
6. Q: How do I handle recurring payments with the PayPal Subscriptions API?
   A: Once a subscription plan is created, PayPal will automatically handle the recurring payments based on the frequency and amount specified in the plan. You can use webhooks to receive payment notifications.
7. Q: Can I offer free trials or discounts for subscription plans?
   A: Yes, you can incorporate trial periods or offer discounted pricing for specific durations by setting appropriate parameters in the subscription plan creation request.
8. Q: How can I cancel a subscription using the PayPal Subscriptions API?
   A: To cancel a subscription, you can make a DELETE request to the /v1/billing/subscriptions/{subscription_id} endpoint, passing the unique identifier of the subscription.
9. Q: Is it possible to update subscription details like billing amount or frequency?
   A: Yes, you can update subscription details like billing amount, frequency, or trial periods by making a PATCH request to the /v1/billing/plans/{plan_id} endpoint with the updated parameters.
10. Q: How do I handle failed or declined payments for subscriptions?
    A: PayPal will automatically attempt to collect payments for subscriptions. In case of failed or declined payments, you will receive payment status notifications via webhooks, which you can handle in your Node.js application.