Glossary
A-Z reference for Connector Service terminology.
A
Authorize — Hold funds on a customer's payment method without charging. Creates an authorization that can be captured later or voided. See Authorize API.
Authentication (3DS) — 3D Secure verification process where the customer verifies ownership of their card through their bank (password, SMS, or biometric). See Authentication Service.
Automatic Capture — Capture funds immediately upon authorization. Used for digital goods and same-day fulfillment.
B
BNPL — Buy Now Pay Later. Payment method type allowing customers to split purchases into installments (Klarna, Afterpay, Affirm).
C
Capture — Complete a payment by transferring funds from the customer's account. Can be full or partial amount. See Capture API.
Capture Method — AUTOMATIC (immediate) or MANUAL (merchant-initiated). Determines when funds transfer.
Connector — Payment processor integration (Stripe, Adyen, PayPal, etc.). Connector Service supports 50+ connectors.
Connector Adapter — Rust module that translates unified requests to connector-specific formats. See Connectors.
Connector Service — The unified payment abstraction library this documentation describes.
Customer — Entity representing a payer. Can have stored payment methods and transaction history.
D
Decline — Rejection of a payment by the issuer or processor. Reasons: insufficient funds, expired card, incorrect CVV, etc.
Dispute — Chargeback initiated by a customer through their bank. Requires merchant response (accept or defend).
DSL — Domain-Specific Language. The Protocol Buffer schema that defines Connector Service's typed API.
E
Environment — Deployment mode: development (mock), sandbox (test credentials), production (live transactions).
Error Code — Unified error identifier (e.g., PAYMENT_DECLINED, NETWORK_TIMEOUT). Same code across all connectors.
Event Service — Handles service specific webhooks (payment/refund/dispute) from payment processors. See Event Service.
F
FFI — Foreign Function Interface. Mechanism allowing SDKs to call Rust core code from Node.js, Python, Java, etc.
Flow — Payment operation type (Authorize, Capture, Refund, etc.).
G
gRPC — High-performance RPC framework using Protocol Buffers. Used for microservice mode.
H
Handle Event — Process any incoming webhook from a payment processor. See handle.
OrchestratorX — Open-source Composable Payments Platform built by OrchestratorX with and used by global enterprise companies. The Connector Service is a component of OrchestratorX.
I
Idempotency Key — Unique identifier preventing duplicate operations. Retry the same request safely.
Incremental Authorization — Increase authorized amount after initial authorization. Used by hotels and car rentals.
M
Manual Capture — Merchant-initiated capture (two-step payment flow).
Merchant — Business entity processing payments through Connector Service.
Metadata — Key-value pairs attached to payments for reconciliation and reporting.
O
Override — Request-level configuration that supersedes connector defaults.
P
Partial Capture — Capture less than authorized amount. Used for multi-shipment orders.
Payment Intent — Stripe's term for a payment authorization. Connector Service unifies this concept across all connectors.
Payment Method — How customer pays: card, wallet, bank transfer, BNPL.
Payment Service — Core service handling authorizations, captures, voids. See Payment Service.
Payment Status — Lifecycle state: STARTED, AUTHORIZED, CAPTURED, FAILED, VOIDED.
Protocol Buffers — Binary serialization format. Defines Connector Service's typed schema.
PSP — Payment Service Provider. Synonym for payment processor/connector.
R
Recurring Payment — Subscription billing using stored payment methods.
Refund — Return captured funds to customer. Can be partial or full amount.
Refund Service — Handles refunds and refund status checks. See Refund Service.
Retry — Re-attempt failed requests for retryable errors (network timeouts, rate limits).
Return URL — Where customer returns after 3D Secure or redirect-based payments.
Reverse — Refund using connector transaction ID instead of Connector Service payment ID.
S
SDK — Software Development Kit. Language-specific client libraries (Node.js, Python, Java, Rust, Go).
Service — API endpoint grouping (PaymentService, RefundService, EventService).
Status — Current state of a payment, refund, or other entity.
Sub-service — Service that extends another (RefundService is sub-service of PaymentService).
Sync — Retrieve latest status from payment processor.
T
Token — Secure reference to stored payment method (PCI-safe alternative to raw card data).
Transformer — Function converting unified types to connector-specific formats.
U
Unified Error — Consistent error format regardless of underlying connector.
Unified Type — Common data structure used across all connectors (Money, PaymentMethod, Address).
V
Validation — Schema-level checks ensuring request correctness before sending to processors.
Void — Cancel an authorization without charging. Releases held funds.
W
Wallet — Digital payment method (Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal).
Webhook — HTTP callback from payment processor notifying of events (payment captured, refund completed).
Webhook Secret — Shared key for verifying webhook authenticity.