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Who is this for?

This guide is for developers who want to connect their Node.js applications to Monieswitch, automate payments, manage wallets, or build custom integrations.

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Overview

This tutorial covers:
  • Setting up your Node.js environment
  • Authenticating with the Monieswitch API
  • Making your first API request
  • Handling errors and responses
  • Best practices for security

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Prerequisites

1

Set Up Node.js

Node.js installed (v14 or higher recommended). Download from nodejs.org.
2

Create Monieswitch Account

A Monieswitch account. Sign up at Monieswitch Dashboard.
3

Get API Key

API Key from your Monieswitch dashboard.

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1. Install Dependencies

We recommend using axios for HTTP requests and dotenv for environment variables. 
npm install axios dotenv

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2. Configure Your API Key

Create a .env file in your project root: 
MONIESWITCH_API_KEY=your_api_key_here
Never commit your .env file or API keys to source control.

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3. Making Your First API Request

Here’s a sample script to fetch your merchant details from Monieswitch:
merchant.js
require("dotenv").config();
const axios = require("axios");

const API_BASE = "https://nini.monieswitch.com";
const API_KEY = process.env.MONIESWITCH_API_KEY;

async function getMerchantDetails() {
  try {
    const response = await axios.get(`${API_BASE}/merchant/details`, {
      headers: {
        Authorization: `Bearer ${API_KEY}`,
        "Content-Type": "application/json",
      },
    });
    console.log("Merchant Details:", response.data);
  } catch (error) {
    if (error.response) {
      console.error("API Error:", error.response.status, error.response.data);
    } else {
      console.error("Request Error:", error.message);
    }
  }
}

getMerchantDetails();
Here’s how to create a payment link using the Monieswitch API:
paymentLink.js
require("dotenv").config();
const axios = require("axios");

const API_BASE = "https://nini.monieswitch.com";
const API_KEY = process.env.MONIESWITCH_API_KEY;

async function createPaymentLink() {
  try {
    const payload = {
      amount: 200,
      channel: "API",
      name: "Product Purchase",
      description: "One-time setup fee",
      supportCard: true,
      requiresName: true,
      requiresPhone: true,
      supportBankTransfer: true,
      webhookURL: "https://yoursite.com/webhook/payment",
      callbackURL: "https://yoursite.com/thank-you",
      email: "[email protected]",
      fields: [
        { type: "text", name: "customer_name", label: "Full Name" },
        { type: "tel", name: "phone", label: "Phone Number" },
      ],
      chargeBearer: "merchant",
      reusable: true,
      customLink: "your-custom-link",
    };

    const response = await axios.post(`${API_BASE}/payment-links`, payload, {
      headers: {
        Authorization: `Bearer ${API_KEY}`,
        "Content-Type": "application/json",
      },
    });

    console.log("Payment Link Created:", response.data);
  } catch (error) {
    if (error.response) {
      console.error("API Error:", error.response.status, error.response.data);
    } else {
      console.error("Request Error:", error.message);
    }
  }
}

createPaymentLink();

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5. Handling Errors and Responses

Always check for HTTP status codes and handle errors gracefully. The Monieswitch API returns detailed error messages in the response body.

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6. Best Practices

  • Keep your API keys secret using environment variables.
  • Validate all API responses before using the data.
  • Read the API Reference for all available endpoints and parameters.
  • Use try/catch blocks to handle exceptions and network errors.

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Next Steps

  • Explore more endpoints in the API Reference
  • Learn how to accept payments with Monieswitch in Python (guide)
  • Set up webhooks for real-time notifications