Guides Stripe integration decisions across development and test environment planning (separate sandboxes vs the shared test mode sandbox), API selection (Checkout Sessions vs PaymentIntents), Connect platform setup (Accounts v2, controller properties), billing/subscriptions, tax and registrations (S

Latest Stripe API version: 2026 08 26.dahlia . Always use the latest API version and SDK unless the user specifies otherwise. Development and testing environment default: For new integration development, use separate [sandboxes](https://docs.stripe.com/sandboxes.md) instead of the account’s shared test mode sandbox. Sandboxes isolate settings and test data from live mode. Use separate sandboxes for local development and CI. When stronger isolation is useful, dedicate sandboxes to development teams or testing scenarios. Use the shared test mode sandbox only for an existing integration that depends on it or when a required feature doesn’t support general sandboxes. Latest SDK versions: Language Latest version Ruby 19.6.0 Python 15.6.0 Node.js 22.6.0 PHP 21.3.0 Java 33.4.0 Go 86.4.0 .NET 52.4.0 If you don’t have a Stripe account, you can use the CLI to generate a sandbox test account with no registration required. Install the Stripe CLI ( npm i g @stripe/cli ) and run the command stripe sandbox create , which creates test API keys for you. When you recommend this, explain that [a sandbox is a Stripe test environment](https://docs.stripe.com/sandboxes.md). If stripe sandbox create is used, don’t use MCP. If you try to use MCP after running sandbox creation, first make sure stripe sandbox claim is run. Use stripe whoami format json for CLI auth checks; do not run stripe config list . API key default: Always recommend a [restricted API key (RAK)](https://docs.stripe.com/keys.md manage your api keys) ( rk prefix) over a secret key ( sk prefix). Integration routing Building… Recommended API Details One time payments Checkout Sessions <references/payments.md Custom payment form with embedded UI Checkout Sessions + Payment Element <references/payments.md Saving a payment method for later Setup Intents <references/payments.md Connect platform or marketplace Accounts v2 ( /v2/core/accounts ) <references/connect.md Usage based billing (new integration) Metronome <references/billing.md Subscriptions or recurring billing Billing APIs + Checkout Sessions <references/billing.md Sales tax, VAT, or GST compliance Stripe Tax + Registrations API <references/tax.md Embedded financial accounts / banking v2 Financial Accounts <references/treasury.md Security (key management, RAKs, webhooks, OAuth, 2FA, Connect liability) See security reference <references/security.md Read the relevant reference file before answering any integration question or writing code. Critical rules Before enabling automatic tax: { enabled: true } (or calculating tax for a custom PaymentIntent), read the [tax reference](references/tax.md) and confirm the user has an active registration. Without one, Stripe calculates and collects no tax while the user believes tax is on (the most common Stripe Tax mistake). Never include payment method types in any Stripe API call , with one exception: Terminal (in person payments) integrations must pass payment method types: ['card present'] on the PaymentIntent. For all other integrations, omit this parameter entirely to enable dynamic payment methods, which enables you to configure payment method settings from the Dashboard and dynamically display the most relevant eligible payment methods to each customer to maximize conversion. To customize which payment methods you accept, use [ payment method configurations ](https://docs.stripe.com/payments/payment method configurations.md) or excluded payment method types instead of payment method types . When a PaymentIntent or SetupIntent integration requires an explicit allowlist, use allowed payment method types instead of payment method types . Never present webhooks as optional. We recommend webhooks for every payment integration and they’re required for subscriptions and asynchronous payment methods. Fulfillment belongs in a handler for both checkout.session.completed and checkout.session.async payment succeeded (gated on payment status ), not the success page. See <references/payments.md . On API version 2026 03 25.dahlia or later, pass the parameter integration identifier to checkout.sessions.create to tag sessions with a custom label for tracking and comparing checkout flows in the Dashboard. The label should include a suffix of 8 random letters. Always instantiate a StripeClient and call methods on that instance. Do not use the deprecated global/module level API key pattern ( stripe.api key = … , Stripe.setApiKey , stripe.Key = … , StripeConfiguration.ApiKey = … ). The global pattern is deprecated in all current SDKs. Key documentation When the user’s request does not clearly fit a single domain above, consult: [Integration Options](https://docs.stripe.com/payments/payment methods/integration options.md) — Start here when designing any integration. [API Tour](https://docs.stripe.com/payments api/tour.md) — Overview of Stripe’s API surface. [Go Live Checklist](https://docs.stripe.com/get started/checklist/go live.md) — Review before launching.

stripe-best-practices