stripe-best-practices
Guides Stripe integration decisions — API selection (Checkout Sessions vs PaymentIntents), Connect platform setup (Accounts v2, controller properties), billing/subscriptions, Treasury financial accounts, integration surfaces (Checkout, Payment Element), migrating from deprecated Stripe APIs, and security best practices (API key management, restricted keys, webhooks, OAuth). Use when building, modifying, or reviewing any Stripe integration — including accepting payments, building marketplaces, integrating Stripe, processing payments, setting up subscriptions, creating connected accounts, or implementing secure key handling.
90
86%
Does it follow best practices?
Impact
96%
1.29xAverage score across 3 eval scenarios
Advisory
Suggest reviewing before use
Latest Stripe API version: 2026-04-22.dahlia. Always use the latest API version and SDK unless the user specifies otherwise.
API key default: Always recommend a restricted API key (RAK) (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> |
| Subscriptions or recurring billing | Billing APIs + Checkout Sessions | <references/billing.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
- Never include
payment_method_typesin any Stripe API call, with one exception: Terminal (in-person payments) integrations must passpayment_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, usepayment_method_configurationsorexcluded_payment_method_typesinstead ofpayment_method_types.
Key documentation
When the user’s request does not clearly fit a single domain above, consult:
- Integration Options — Start here when designing any integration.
- API Tour — Overview of Stripe’s API surface.
- Go Live Checklist — Review before launching.