> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.payoes.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Quickstart

> Create your first Stellar payment with the Payoes API.

This guide walks you through creating a payment and completing it on Stellar testnet (sandbox).

## Prerequisites

* A Payoes account with an organization and settlement wallet configured
* An API key from **Developers → API Keys** in the dashboard
* A Stellar testnet wallet with XLM or testnet USDC

## 1. Create an API key

In the dashboard, go to **Developers → API Keys** and create a sandbox key. Copy the full key. It is only shown once.

Sandbox keys use the `pk_test_` prefix.

## 2. Create a payment

<Snippet file="base-url.mdx" />

<Snippet file="auth-header.mdx" />

```bash theme={null}
curl -X POST https://payoes.com/api/v1/payments \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer pk_test_YOUR_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "amount": "2",
    "asset": "XLM",
    "description": "Quickstart payment"
  }'
```

Example response:

```json theme={null}
{
  "id": "pay_nLU2gUDk-v3tdyd6",
  "amount": "2.0000000",
  "asset": "XLM",
  "status": "pending",
  "description": "Quickstart payment",
  "metadata": null,
  "checkout_url": "https://payoes.com/c/pay_nLU2gUDk-v3tdyd6",
  "tx_hash": null,
  "confirmed_at": null,
  "expires_at": "2026-07-07T07:00:00.000Z",
  "created_at": "2026-07-07T06:00:00.000Z"
}
```

## 3. Open checkout

Open `checkout_url` in a browser. Connect a Stellar wallet and click **Pay**.

No login is required for customers. They only connect a wallet at checkout time.

## 4. Confirm payment status

After the wallet approves the transaction, Payoes verifies it on Horizon and marks the payment `completed`.

Retrieve the payment:

```bash theme={null}
curl https://payoes.com/api/v1/payments/pay_nLU2gUDk-v3tdyd6 \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer pk_test_YOUR_KEY"
```

When `status` is `completed`, `tx_hash` contains the Stellar transaction hash.

## 5. Webhooks

Register a webhook endpoint in **Developers → Webhooks** to receive `payment.completed` events automatically instead of polling.

See [Webhooks](/guides/webhooks) for signature verification.

## What's next

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Authentication" icon="key" href="/guides/authentication">
    Learn how API keys and environments work.
  </Card>

  <Card title="API Reference" icon="code" href="/api-reference/overview">
    Explore the full Payments API.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>