Merchant Onboarding

Sandbox first, then go live. You can test everything without paying or submitting ID. Only when you're ready to accept real money do you complete verification.

Quick Overview

Step 1: Sign Up

Go to nylonpay.nilesquad.com. Enter your email and verify it.

Result: You're immediately in sandbox mode. No payment needed. No ID needed.

Step 2: Sandbox Setup

After signup, a guided onboarding modal walks you through these steps.

2.1 Create a Collection Account

• Go to Accounts in the dashboard
• Click Create Account
• Give it a name (e.g., "My Business Account")

A collection account holds incoming payments before settlement.

2.2 Create Sandbox API Keys

• Go to Settings > API Keys
• Click Create Key
• Copy your apiKey and apiSecret immediately, the secret is shown only once

Your sandbox keys look like:

apiKey: npk_sandbox_...
apiSecret: nps_sandbox_...

2.3 Set Your Webhook URL (Optional)

• Add your webhook endpoint in Settings > API Keys
• See the Webhooks guide for details

2.4 Enable Optional Services

Choose any extras:

• SMS receipts to customers
• Email receipts
• Invoice generation

2.5 Test Your Integration

import { createNylonPay } from '@nile-squad/nylonpay-ts'

const nylonPay = createNylonPay({
  apiKey: 'npk_sandbox_your_key',
  apiSecret: 'nps_sandbox_your_secret'
})

const payment = await nylonPay.collectPayment({
  amount: 5000,
  currency: 'UGX',
  customer: {
    name: 'Jane Doe',
    phoneNumber: '+256712345678'
  },
  description: 'Test payment'
})

payment.on('success', ({ transaction }) => console.log('Paid:', transaction.reference))
payment.on('failed', ({ error }) => console.error('Failed:', error))

Sandbox transactions are marked in the dashboard. They don't count toward limits or statistics.

Step 3: Go Live (When Ready for Real Payments)

Initiate from Settings > Verification or click the Go Live banner.

3.1 Submit Level 1 KYC

3.2 Background Checks (Automatic)

3.3 Decision

Typical approval time: 1–2 business days.

Step 4: After Approval (Live Mode)

Create Live API Keys

• Go to Settings > API Keys
• Create a new key, mode will be live

Your live keys look like:

apiKey: npk_live_...
apiSecret: nps_live_...

Update Your SDK Configuration

const nylonPay = createNylonPay({
  apiKey: 'npk_live_your_public_key',
  apiSecret: 'nps_live_your_secret_key'
})

Set Up Settlement

• Go to Accounts
• Add your settlement phone number or bank account
• Defaults to the phone number from your KYC

Keep Sandbox Keys

Your sandbox keys remain active. Test new features in sandbox while running live payments.

Sandbox vs Live Comparison

Next Steps

• Test in sandbox, verify everything works
• Configure webhooks, receive payment notifications
• Create payment links, collect payments without coding