How to Activate Stripe in my eDirectory

Introduction

Stripe is a secure and widely used online payment platform that allows you to accept credit card payments directly through your eDirectory website.

By integrating Stripe with eDirectory, you can offer your sponsors a seamless checkout experience while automating subscription billing and payment processing.

With Stripe, you can:

• Accept one-time payments
• Offer recurring subscription plans
• Automatically renew subscriptions
• Create trial periods for subscription plans
• Track payments securely through your Stripe Dashboard

This guide will walk you through creating a Stripe account, generating your Secret API Key, integrating Stripe with your eDirectory website, and configuring automatic subscription renewals.

Before You Begin

Before configuring Stripe, make sure you have:

• A Stripe account
• Administrator access to your eDirectory Site Manager
• A live domain connected to your website

Step 1: Create and Activate Your Stripe Account

1.1. Create a Stripe Account

Visit the Stripe website and create a new account if you don't already have one. If you already have an existing Stripe account, simply sign in.

1.2. Verify Your Email Address

After creating your account, Stripe will send a verification email. Open the email and click the verification link to activate your email address.

1.3. Complete Your Business Information

Before Stripe allows you to process live payments, you'll need to complete your business profile.

Depending on your country, Stripe may request information such as:

• Business name
• Business address
• Tax information
• Bank account
• Identity verification
• Phone number

Click Verify your business

Complete all required information until Stripe indicates that your account has been activated.

1.4. Switch to Live Mode

Stripe provides two environments:

• Test Mode — Used only for testing payments.
• Live Mode — Used to process real customer payments.

Before continuing, make sure Test Mode is disabled. Only Live Mode allows you to generate the API key required by eDirectory.

Step 2: Generate Your Secret API Key

Once your Stripe account has been activated, you'll need to generate a Secret API Key. This key allows your eDirectory website to communicate securely with Stripe.

2.1. Open the Developers Section

Inside your Stripe Dashboard, use the search bar at the top of the page and search for:

• Developers
• Open the Developers section.

2.2. Open the API Keys Page

From the menu, click API Keys.

2.3. Create a New Secret Key

Click Create Secret Key.

2.4. Choose the Integration Type

When Stripe asks how you'll use this key, select Powering an integration you built. Then click Create Secret Key.

2.5. Complete Stripe Verification

Stripe may ask you to verify your identity before allowing the key to be created. If prompted, complete the requested verification process.

2.6. Name Your API Key

Enter a descriptive name for your key.

For example:

• eDirectory Stripe
• eDirectory Live Key
• Website Payments

This name is only for your own reference and can be anything you prefer. Click Create.

2.7. Copy Your Secret API Key

Stripe will now display your newly generated Secret API Key. It will look similar to:

Step 3: Enabling Stripe on Your eDirectory Website

With your Stripe Secret Key in hand, follow these steps to activate Stripe as a payment gateway within your eDirectory Site Manager.

3.1. Log in to the Site Manager

Access the administrative backend of your eDirectory website using your login credentials.

3.2. Navigate to Payment Gateway Settings

Go to the "Settings" tab, then select "Products & Plans" and finally click "Additional settings & payment gateways" option.

3.3. Enable Stripe:

• Locate the "Stripe" toggle button and enable it.
• In the "API Key" field, paste the Stripe Secret Key that you copied in Step 2.7.

• If you intend to offer recurring subscription payments, ensure the "Auto Bill" option is also enabled and save changes.

When this option is enabled, Stripe will automatically process future subscription renewals.

3.4. Save the Changes

• Click Save Changes.
• Stripe is now connected to your website.

Step 4: Restrict Your Secret Key (Recommended)

To improve the security of your Stripe integration, we recommend restricting your Secret Key so that it only accepts requests from the server hosting your eDirectory website.

4.1. Open Your Secret Key

After creating your Secret Key, locate it in Developers → API Keys. Click the ••• (three-dot menu) next to the Secret Key you created and select Manage Access Policy.

4.2. Create a New Access Policy

Click the drop-down arrow and select Create a new policy.

4.3. Protect your API key with access policy

On the next page, click Create Policy.

4.4. Name the Policy

Enter a descriptive name, such as:

• eDirectory API Access Policy

Then click Continue.

4.5. Restrict by IP Address

On the next page, choose:

• IP addresses

Then enter the appropriate IP address(es) for your eDirectory server and click Continue.

4.6. Assign the Secret Key

Select the Secret Key you created. Click Continue again.

4.7. Review the Configuration

Review the policy summary. If everything is correct, click Create Policy.

Step 5: Configure the Stripe Webhook

The Stripe Webhook allows Stripe to notify your eDirectory website whenever a payment is successfully processed.

Without the webhook, eDirectory will not automatically activate subscriptions or record payments in Revenue Reports.

5.1. Open the Webhooks Section

After creating an API access policy, you should see the Developers page. Click the Webhooks tab.

5.2. Create the Webhook

Click Create an event destination.

5.3. Enter the Webhook URL

In the Endpoint URL field, enter:

Example:

5.4. Select the Event

• Click Select events.
• Search for invoice.payment_succeeded
• Select the event and click Add events.

5.5. Save the Endpoint

Click Add endpoint.

Your webhook is now configured.

Step 6: Configure Trial Plans (Optional)

If you'd like to offer a free trial before charging customers, you can enable Trial Periods for individual plans.

6.1. Navigate to:

Settings → Products & Plans → Manage Plans

6.2. Edit the Desired Plan

Select the plan you wisy to modify

6.3. Define the Trial Period

Locate the Free Trial Days option and enter specigy the trial duration in days.

Example:

• 7 days
• 14 days
• 30 days

Save your changes.

Once the trial period is configured, it will be associated with the subscription plan and displayed on the plan's Subscribe button, allowing customers to see that the plan includes a free trial before subscribing.

Verifying the Integration

After completing the Stripe configuration, we recommend performing a test purchase to confirm that everything has been configured correctly.

Perform a Test Purchase

1. Visit your website as a visitor.
2. Navigate to the List with Us page.

3. Purchase one of your subscription plans using Stripe (Credit Card option).

4. Complete the checkout process.

Verify the Results

After the payment is completed, verify the following:

• The subscription has been created under the sponsor's account.

• The subscription status is Active.

• The transaction appears under Activity → Revenue Reports in your eDirectory Site Manager.

• The payment appears in your Stripe Dashboard.

If all of these items are successful, your Stripe integration has been configured correctly.

My Subscription Was Created as "Pending"

If your test subscription is created successfully but its status is Pending instead of Active, your website's approval settings are requiring manual approval.

To have subscriptions activated automatically after a successful payment, navigate to Settings → General Settings → Approval Requirements

Configure the following options:

Default Status

Set both of these options to Active:

• Default status for new listings
• Default status for updated listings

Synchronize Listing Status with Subscription Status

Make sure all of the following options are enabled:

• ✅ Listings assigned to active subscriptions will be automatically set to Active
• ✅ Listings assigned to suspended subscriptions will be automatically set to Suspended
• ✅ Listings assigned to pending subscriptions will be automatically set to Pending
• ✅ Listings assigned to canceled subscriptions will be automatically set to Suspended

These options ensure that whenever a subscription changes status, the listings associated with that subscription automatically receive the same status.

Automatic Subscription Renewals

If Auto Bill was enabled in Step 3, Stripe will automatically process future subscription renewals.

For renewals to activate subscriptions correctly, the webhook configured in Step 5 must also be working properly, as it is responsible for notifying your eDirectory website whenever Stripe successfully processes a payment.

After completing the Stripe configuration, it is recommended to perform a test purchase to ensure everything is working correctly.

Troubleshooting

I receive an error when trying to complete a purchase.

This usually happens when a Restricted API Key is being used instead of a Secret Key.

eDirectory is designed to authenticate with Stripe using a Secret Key only.

Verify the API key you entered:

• ✅ Correct: sk_live_...      
• ❌ Incorrect: rk_live_...      

If your key begins with rk_, you created a Restricted Key instead of a Secret Key.

To resolve this issue:

1. Return to Developers → API Keys in Stripe.
2. Create a new Secret Key by following Step 2 of this guide.
3. Replace the existing key in Settings → Products & Plans → Additional Settings & Payment Gateways
4. Save the changes.
5. Test the purchase again.

The customer completed the payment, Stripe received the money, but the subscription was not activated automatically.

This almost always indicates that the Stripe Webhook has not been configured or is not working correctly.

The webhook is responsible for notifying your eDirectory website whenever Stripe successfully processes a payment. Without it:

• Payments are processed by Stripe.
• Funds are received in your Stripe account.
• The sponsor account is not activated automatically.
• The transaction does not appear under Activity → Revenue Reports.
• Automatic subscription renewals cannot be processed correctly.

To resolve this issue:

1. Return to Step 5 of this guide.
2. Verify that the webhook URL has been created exactly as instructed.
3. Confirm that the event invoice.payment_succeeded has been selected.
4. Save the webhook configuration.
5. Perform another test purchase.

My Secret Key is not displayed anymore.

For security reasons, Stripe only displays a Secret Key once, immediately after it is created.

If you closed the window or did not save the key, it cannot be viewed again.

Simply create a new Secret Key by following Step 2 of this guide and replace the existing key in your eDirectory Site Manager.

Automatic renewals are not working.

Verify that:

• Auto Bill is enabled in Settings → Products & Plans → Additional Settings & Payment Gateways.
• The Stripe Webhook has been configured (Step 5).
• The webhook is listening for the invoice.payment_succeeded event (Step 5).
• The approval requirements are set to Active under Settings → General Settings → Approval Requirements.

Conclusion

Congratulations! Stripe is now successfully integrated with your eDirectory website.

Your website is now ready to securely process online payments, recurring subscriptions, and optional trial periods through Stripe.

By completing this configuration—including the Secret API Key, Access Policy, webhook, and optional Auto Bill settings—you've ensured that payments can be processed securely and that subscription renewals can be automated with minimal administrative effort.

You can now manage your products, plans, and subscription payments directly from your eDirectory Site Manager while relying on Stripe's secure payment infrastructure.