SenteRail Docs

Getting Started ​

Start with sandbox access, not a local copy of the SenteRail platform. This guide is for external integrators who need to test a customer-facing payment, webhook, or reconciliation workflow.

01Confirm accessChoose your path and confirm which products are enabled.
02Use sandboxCreate or receive a test key and run deterministic test cases.
03Verify webhooksValidate signatures, dedupe events, and handle retries.
04Prepare launchComplete security, legal, support, and reconciliation checks.

Who Can Integrate ​

SenteRail integrations are available to approved organisations with enabled products. Your exact API access depends on onboarding status, commercial terms, and the products configured for your account.

Start with Choose your integration path if you are not sure whether your team should follow the SACCO, merchant, plugin, or partner journey.

Request Or Receive Sandbox Access ​

Sandbox access usually starts from your SenteRail account or onboarding contact. Use sandbox credentials for development and test traffic. Do not use live credentials in development tools, shared screenshots, issue trackers, or frontend code.

For hands-on testing, continue to the Sandbox quickstart.

First Customer-Facing API Call ​

Most external teams start with either a merchant checkout flow or a product enablement conversation. When your account supports API access, use Authentication to choose the right credential type, then use API Reference for endpoint details.

bash
curl -X POST https://api.senterail.com/api/v1/checkout/sessions \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <merchant_session_token>" \
  -H "Idempotency-Key: order-1001" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "order": {"reference":"order-1001","amount":50000,"currency":"UGX"},
    "customer": {"phone":"256700000000"},
    "return_urls": {"success":"https://merchant.example/success","cancel":"https://merchant.example/cancel"}
  }'

First Webhook Check ​

Treat the API response as the start of the workflow, not the final source of truth. Your system should verify signed SenteRail webhooks, dedupe event IDs, and reconcile out-of-order updates.

Read Webhooks before you mark a transaction complete in your own system.

First Reconciliation Check ​

Your integration should reconcile SenteRail events with your own order, member, or accounting records. The specific evidence available depends on your account and enabled products.

Read Reconciliation and Operational responsibilities before launch.

Go-Live Readiness ​

Before production traffic, complete the Go-live checklist. It covers API keys, webhook verification, idempotency, support ownership, legal documents, and rollback expectations.