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A

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Aggregator

The system within NowRamp that compares quotes from multiple payment gateways in real-time, ranks them by rate, fees, and speed, and returns the results to your application. This allows your users to see the best available option for their purchase.

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AML (Anti-Money Laundering)

Regulations and processes designed to prevent illegal funds from moving through the financial system. Payment gateways handle AML compliance as part of their checkout process.

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API Key

A unique identifier that authenticates your application with NowRamp. Public Keys (pk_) are safe for frontend use and provide higher rate limits. Secret Keys (sk_) are for backend partner dashboard operations only. The Onramp API is public and doesn’t require an API key.

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C

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Checkout Intent

A record created when a user selects a quote from a specific gateway and proceeds to payment. The checkout intent contains the checkout URL (iframe or redirect) and an order ID for tracking. See the Onramp API for details.

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Customer

The end user of your application who is buying or selling cryptocurrency. Identified by an externalCustomerId that you provide.

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G

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Gateway

A payment provider in the NowRamp aggregation system. Gateways handle the actual fiat-to-crypto (or crypto-to-fiat) transaction, including payment processing and identity verification. NowRamp compares quotes across all enabled gateways to find the best rate.

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GeoIP

IP-to-country resolution used by NowRamp to automatically detect a user’s geographic location. This determines which currencies, payment methods, and gateways are available based on regional restrictions. You can override auto-detection by passing a country parameter.

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N

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Network Fee

The cost charged by the blockchain network to process a crypto transaction. This fee goes to the network validators. Network fees vary based on blockchain congestion and are included in quote fee breakdowns.

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O

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Off-Ramp

The process of converting cryptocurrency into traditional currency (fiat). When your customers want to “cash out” their crypto, they use off-ramp services.

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On-Ramp

The process of converting traditional currency (fiat) into cryptocurrency. When your customers want to buy crypto using their credit card or bank account, they use on-ramp services.

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P

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Partner

A company using NowRamp to offer crypto buying and selling to their users. Partners integrate NowRamp via the Onramp API, React components, or the JavaScript SDK.

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Payment Method

How the customer pays for their purchase. Common options include credit cards, debit cards, bank transfers (ACH), and wire transfers. Available methods depend on the customer’s region and the gateway.

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Project

A separate app or environment under your partner account. Many partners create multiple projects, such as one for their mobile app and one for their web app, or separate projects for staging and production. Each project has its own configuration and API keys.

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Q

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Quote

A price estimate from a payment gateway for a specific currency pair and amount. Quotes include the exchange rate, fees breakdown, estimated processing time, and KYC requirements. Quotes expire after a short time window.

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S

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Sandbox

A test environment that mirrors production but uses mock data and test payment methods. Use sandbox to build and test your integration without processing real money.

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T

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Transaction

A normalized order status from any payment gateway. Transactions have a unified set of statuses (pending, processing, completed, failed, cancelled, expired, refunded) regardless of which gateway processed the order. Poll the Onramp API or use webhooks to track transaction status.

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W

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Webhook

A real-time notification sent to your server when a transaction event occurs (e.g., completed, failed, refunded). Webhooks push updates to you instead of requiring you to poll. See the Callback URLs guide for setup.