Quickstart

This guide takes you from an API key to a customer you can use in a payment request. It uses the sandbox, so you can integrate without moving real money.

Before you begin

You need an Inflow organization with an API key. Create or copy the key from the Inflow Dashboard, then store it in an environment variable—never expose it in browser or mobile-app code.

export INFLOW_API_KEY="gtw_sk_your_api_key"
export INFLOW_BASE_URL="https://sandbox.inflowafrica.com/api"

API keys are scoped to one organization. Requests made with a key can access only that organization’s customers, payments, and wallets.

Authenticate requests

Send the key in the Authorization header as a Bearer token. Inflow also accepts the X-API-Key header, but use one method consistently.

curl "$INFLOW_BASE_URL/v1/wallets" \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer $INFLOW_API_KEY"

A successful response confirms that the key is valid:

{
  "data": [
    {
      "id": "8d90d093-9eaa-4a33-9775-6f987c086048",
      "currency": "NGN",
      "balance": 0,
      "isActive": true,
      "accountNumber": null,
      "accountName": null,
      "bankName": null,
      "createdAt": "2026-07-24T09:15:00.000Z"
    }
  ]
}

Create a customer

Create a customer before creating a payment. Save the returned data.id; it is the customerId required by the payment API.

curl --request POST "$INFLOW_BASE_URL/v1/customers" \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer $INFLOW_API_KEY" \
  --header "Content-Type: application/json" \
  --data '{
    "firstName": "Ada",
    "lastName": "Okafor",
    "email": "ada.okafor@example.com",
    "phone": "+2348012345678",
    "address": {
      "street": "12 Marina Road",
      "city": "Lagos",
      "state": "Lagos",
      "country": "NG"
    }
  }'

{
  "data": {
    "id": "4b2a49b2-526c-4c08-b342-f8b1f409c091",
    "firstName": "Ada",
    "lastName": "Okafor",
    "email": "ada.okafor@example.com",
    "isActive": true,
    "createdAt": "2026-07-24T09:16:00.000Z"
  }
}

Use the right environment

Environment	Base URL	Use it for
Sandbox	`https://sandbox.inflowafrica.com/api`	Building and testing your integration
Production	`https://app.inflowpay.net/api`	Live customer payments and withdrawals

Keep sandbox and production keys separate. When you are ready to go live, switch both the base URL and the API key.

Next step

You now have a customer ID. Follow Collect a payment to create a payment request and direct the payer to checkout.

Overview

Guides

Customers

Payments

Wallets

Payouts

Quickstart

Quickstart

Before you begin

Authenticate requests

Create a customer

Use the right environment

Next step

​Quickstart

​Before you begin

​Authenticate requests

​Create a customer

​Use the right environment

​Next step

Quickstart

Before you begin

Authenticate requests

Create a customer

Use the right environment

Next step