Merchant Authentication Service Overview

Overview

The Merchant Authentication Service generates secure credentials for accessing payment processor APIs using the Node.js SDK. These short-lived tokens provide secure access without storing secrets client-side.

Business Use Cases:

• Frontend SDKs - Generate tokens for client-side payment flows

• Wallet payments - Initialize Apple Pay, Google Pay sessions

• Session management - Maintain secure state across payment operations

• Multi-party payments - Secure delegated access

Operations

Operation	Description	Use When
createAccessToken	Generate short-lived connector authentication token. Provides secure API access credentials.	Need temporary API access token
createSessionToken	Create session token for payment processing. Maintains session state across operations.	Starting a multi-step payment flow
createSdkSessionToken	Initialize wallet payment sessions. Sets up Apple Pay, Google Pay context.	Enabling wallet payments

SDK Setup

const { MerchantAuthenticationClient } = require('hyperswitch-prism');

const authClient = new MerchantAuthenticationClient({
    connector: 'stripe',
    apiKey: 'YOUR_API_KEY',
    environment: 'SANDBOX'
});

Security Best Practices

• Never store tokens long-term

• Use tokens immediately after creation

• Handle token expiration gracefully

• Use HTTPS for all token transmissions

Next Steps

• Payment Service - Use tokens for payment operations

• Payment Method Authentication Service - 3D Secure authentication