Stripe Payments

Overview

SkillRise uses Stripe for processing course payments (Note: The codebase actually uses Razorpay as the payment provider, not Stripe. This documentation covers the Razorpay implementation).

The README mentions Stripe, but the actual implementation uses Razorpay. This is common in Indian e-learning platforms. The documentation below covers the actual Razorpay implementation.

Features

Secure checkout: Razorpay embedded payment UI
Multiple payment methods: Cards, UPI, Netbanking, Wallets
Webhook verification: HMAC-SHA256 signature validation
Order tracking: Purchase status management
Fallback enrollment: Webhook ensures enrollment even if frontend fails

Environment Variables

Server Configuration

Add these to your server/.env file:

server/.env

RAZORPAY_KEY_ID=rzp_test_...
RAZORPAY_KEY_SECRET=...
RAZORPAY_WEBHOOK_SECRET=...
CURRENCY=INR

Get your keys from the Razorpay Dashboard. Create an account and generate API keys under Settings → API Keys.

Setup Instructions

Create Razorpay Account

Go to Razorpay
Sign up for an account
Complete KYC verification (required for live mode)
Start with Test Mode for development

Generate API Keys

Go to Settings → API Keys
Click Generate Test Keys (or Generate Live Keys for production)
Copy the Key ID and Key Secret

Add them to server/.env:

RAZORPAY_KEY_ID=rzp_test_...
RAZORPAY_KEY_SECRET=...

Configure Webhooks

Go to Settings → Webhooks
Click Add New Webhook
Enter your webhook URL:
- Development: Use ngrok → https://your-ngrok-url.ngrok.io/razorpay
- Production: https://your-domain.com/razorpay
Select events:
- payment.captured
Click Create Webhook
Copy the Webhook Secret and add it to server/.env:
RAZORPAY_WEBHOOK_SECRET=...

Install Dependencies

cd server
npm install razorpay crypto

Payment Flow

The payment flow consists of three steps:

Create Order: Backend creates a Razorpay order
Process Payment: Frontend opens Razorpay checkout modal
Verify Payment: Backend verifies signature and completes enrollment
Webhook Fallback: Razorpay webhook ensures enrollment even if step 3 fails

1. Create Order

When a user initiates a purchase, the backend creates a Razorpay order:

server/services/payments/razorpay.service.js

import Razorpay from 'razorpay'
import Purchase from '../../models/Purchase.js'

export const createOrder = async ({ purchaseId, amount, courseTitle }) => {
  const razorpayInstance = new Razorpay({
    key_id: process.env.RAZORPAY_KEY_ID,
    key_secret: process.env.RAZORPAY_KEY_SECRET,
  })

  const currency = process.env.CURRENCY || 'INR'

  const order = await razorpayInstance.orders.create({
    amount: Math.round(amount * 100), // convert to paise
    currency,
    receipt: purchaseId.toString(),
    notes: {
      purchaseId: purchaseId.toString(),
      courseTitle,
    },
  })

  // Store the Razorpay order id on the Purchase
  await Purchase.findByIdAndUpdate(purchaseId, { 
    providerOrderId: order.id 
  })

  return {
    orderId: order.id,
    keyId: process.env.RAZORPAY_KEY_ID,
  }
}

API Endpoint:

POST /api/user/purchase

Request:
{
  "courseId": "64abc123..."
}

Response:
{
  "success": true,
  "orderId": "order_...",
  "keyId": "rzp_test_...",
  "amount": 2999,
  "currency": "INR"
}

2. Frontend Integration

Open Razorpay checkout modal on the frontend:

client/src/components/Checkout.jsx

const handlePayment = async () => {
  // Create order
  const response = await fetch('/api/user/purchase', {
    method: 'POST',
    headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
    body: JSON.stringify({ courseId }),
  })
  const { orderId, keyId, amount, currency } = await response.json()

  // Open Razorpay checkout
  const options = {
    key: keyId,
    amount: amount,
    currency: currency,
    name: 'SkillRise',
    description: 'Course Purchase',
    order_id: orderId,
    handler: async (response) => {
      // Verify payment on backend
      await fetch('/api/user/verify-razorpay', {
        method: 'POST',
        headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
        body: JSON.stringify({
          razorpay_order_id: response.razorpay_order_id,
          razorpay_payment_id: response.razorpay_payment_id,
          razorpay_signature: response.razorpay_signature,
        }),
      })
    },
    theme: { color: '#3b82f6' },
  }

  const razorpay = new window.Razorpay(options)
  razorpay.open()
}

Load Razorpay script:

client/index.html

<script src="https://checkout.razorpay.com/v1/checkout.js"></script>

3. Verify Payment Signature

The backend verifies the payment signature using HMAC-SHA256:

server/services/payments/razorpay.service.js

import crypto from 'crypto'

export const verifyPayment = ({ orderId, paymentId, signature }) => {
  const expected = crypto
    .createHmac('sha256', process.env.RAZORPAY_KEY_SECRET)
    .update(`${orderId}|${paymentId}`)
    .digest('hex')
    
  return crypto.timingSafeEqual(
    Buffer.from(expected), 
    Buffer.from(signature)
  )
}

API Endpoint:

POST /api/user/verify-razorpay

Request:
{
  "razorpay_order_id": "order_...",
  "razorpay_payment_id": "pay_...",
  "razorpay_signature": "..."
}

Response:
{
  "success": true,
  "message": "Payment verified and enrollment complete"
}

4. Webhook Implementation

Webhook acts as a reliable fallback if the frontend verification fails (network drop, browser close, etc.):

server/controllers/webhooks.js

import crypto from 'crypto'
import { completePurchase } from '../services/payments/order.service.js'

export const razorpayWebhooks = async (req, res) => {
  const signature = req.headers['x-razorpay-signature']
  const rawBody = req.body // raw Buffer (express.raw middleware)

  const expectedSignature = crypto
    .createHmac('sha256', process.env.RAZORPAY_WEBHOOK_SECRET)
    .update(rawBody)
    .digest('hex')

  if (
    !signature ||
    !crypto.timingSafeEqual(
      Buffer.from(expectedSignature), 
      Buffer.from(signature)
    )
  ) {
    return res.status(400).json({ 
      error: 'Invalid Razorpay webhook signature' 
    })
  }

  const event = JSON.parse(rawBody.toString())

  if (event.event === 'payment.captured') {
    const payment = event.payload?.payment?.entity
    const purchaseId = payment?.notes?.purchaseId
    const paymentId = payment?.id

    if (purchaseId && paymentId) {
      await completePurchase(purchaseId, paymentId)
    }
  }

  res.json({ received: true })
}

Register webhook route:

server/server.js

import { razorpayWebhooks } from './controllers/webhooks.js'

// IMPORTANT: Use express.raw() for Razorpay webhooks
// Signature verification requires raw bytes, not parsed JSON
app.post('/razorpay', 
  express.raw({ type: 'application/json' }), 
  razorpayWebhooks
)

// Then apply express.json() for other routes
app.use(express.json())

Razorpay webhook signature is computed over the exact raw bytes. The webhook route must use express.raw() middleware, not express.json(). Apply express.json() after the webhook route.

Rate Limiting

Protect payment endpoints from abuse:

server/server.js

import { rateLimit, ipKeyGenerator } from 'express-rate-limit'

const paymentLimiter = rateLimit({
  windowMs: 15 * 60 * 1000, // 15 minutes
  limit: 10, // 10 requests per window
  keyGenerator: (req) => req.auth?.userId || ipKeyGenerator(req),
  message: { 
    success: false, 
    message: 'Too many payment attempts. Please try again later.' 
  },
})

app.use('/api/user/purchase', paymentLimiter)
app.use('/api/user/verify-razorpay', paymentLimiter)

Testing Payments

Test Cards

Razorpay provides test cards for development:

Card Number	Type	Result
`4111 1111 1111 1111`	Visa	Success
`5555 5555 5555 4444`	Mastercard	Success
`4000 0000 0000 0002`	Visa	Declined

Test card details:

CVV: Any 3 digits
Expiry: Any future date
Name: Any name

Test UPI

Use success@razorpay as the UPI ID in test mode.

Testing Webhooks Locally

Install ngrok

npm install -g ngrok

Start your server

cd server
npm run server

Expose localhost

ngrok http 3000

Copy the HTTPS URL (e.g., https://abc123.ngrok.io)

Update Razorpay webhook URL

In Razorpay Dashboard → Settings → Webhooks:

https://abc123.ngrok.io/razorpay

Test payment

Make a test purchase using a test card. Check:

Server logs for webhook event
MongoDB for completed purchase
User enrollment in course

Production Checklist

Switch to Live Mode

Complete KYC verification in Razorpay Dashboard
Generate Live API Keys
Update RAZORPAY_KEY_ID and RAZORPAY_KEY_SECRET with live keys

Update Webhook URL

Replace ngrok URL with your production domain:

https://api.yourplatform.com/razorpay

Enable HTTPS

Razorpay requires HTTPS for webhooks in production. Use:

Let’s Encrypt (free SSL)
Cloudflare (free SSL + CDN)
Your hosting provider’s SSL

Test End-to-End

Make a real small payment (₹1)
Verify enrollment completes
Check webhook logs
Test refund flow

Common Issues

Webhook signature verification fails

Ensure you’re using express.raw() middleware for the webhook route
Verify RAZORPAY_WEBHOOK_SECRET matches the secret in Razorpay Dashboard
Check that the webhook route is registered before express.json()
Confirm headers x-razorpay-signature is being sent

Payment succeeds but enrollment fails

Check server logs for errors in completePurchase() function
Verify MongoDB connection is active
Ensure the purchaseId is correctly stored in Razorpay order notes
Check that the webhook is subscribed to payment.captured event

Amount mismatch

Razorpay amounts are in paise (smallest currency unit)
Convert rupees to paise: amount * 100
Example: ₹2999 → 299900 paise

Duplicate enrollments

Both frontend verification and webhook can trigger enrollment
Ensure completePurchase() is idempotent (checks if already completed)
Add unique constraints on Purchase model

Security Best Practices

Verify Signatures

Always verify webhook signatures using crypto.timingSafeEqual() to prevent timing attacks.

Use HTTPS

Never send API keys or handle payments over HTTP. Always use HTTPS in production.

Rate Limiting

Apply strict rate limits to payment endpoints to prevent abuse and fraud attempts.

Secure Keys

Never commit API keys to git. Use environment variables and keep secrets secure.

Resources

Razorpay Docs

Official Razorpay documentation

Payment Gateway

Web integration guide

Webhooks

Webhook integration guide

Test Cards

Test card numbers

Overview

Getting Started

Core Features

For Students

For Educators

For Admins

Integrations

Deployment

Development

Overview

Features

Environment Variables

Server Configuration

Setup Instructions

Payment Flow

1. Create Order

2. Frontend Integration

3. Verify Payment Signature

4. Webhook Implementation

Rate Limiting

Testing Payments

Test Cards

Test UPI

Testing Webhooks Locally

Production Checklist

Common Issues

Security Best Practices

Verify Signatures

Use HTTPS

Rate Limiting

Secure Keys

Resources

Razorpay Docs

Payment Gateway

Webhooks

Test Cards

​Overview

​Features

​Environment Variables

​Server Configuration

​Setup Instructions

​Payment Flow

​1. Create Order

​2. Frontend Integration

​3. Verify Payment Signature

​4. Webhook Implementation

​Rate Limiting

​Testing Payments

​Test Cards

​Test UPI

​Testing Webhooks Locally

​Production Checklist

​Common Issues

​Security Best Practices

Verify Signatures

Use HTTPS

Rate Limiting

Secure Keys

​Resources

Razorpay Docs

Payment Gateway

Webhooks

Test Cards

Overview

Features

Environment Variables

Server Configuration

Setup Instructions

Payment Flow

1. Create Order

2. Frontend Integration

3. Verify Payment Signature

4. Webhook Implementation

Rate Limiting

Testing Payments

Test Cards

Test UPI

Testing Webhooks Locally

Production Checklist

Common Issues

Security Best Practices

Resources