What is a host-to-host payment gateway?
What a host-to-host payment gateway is: server-to-server payments with a redirect to hosted checkout and a final webhook, explained for merchants.
A host-to-host payment gateway connects your server directly to the payment provider. Your backend creates payments, the customer pays on a hosted page and the provider reports the result back to your server.
What host-to-host means
In a host-to-host model the payment request goes from your server to the gateway, not from the browser. The customer meets the gateway only on the hosted payment page, which keeps keys and order logic on your side.
How the flow works
Your server creates a payment with POST /api/v1/payment, receives a redirectUrl, sends the customer there and receives the final status by webhook. Three steps cover the whole flow.
Who it is for
Online shops, SaaS products and marketplaces that already run a backend and want full control of checkout logic, order states and reconciliation.
Hosted page and fixed rate
The customer pays on the Qvard hosted checkout, which shows the exact amount for the chosen asset and network at a fixed rate for the invoice lifetime. You do not build address generation or rate logic.
x-api-key: sk_live_…
{
"id": "order_1024",
"price": 12499.00,
"currency": "INR",
"paymentSystemId": 12
}
// 201 Created
{
"data": {
"id": "8f3k2a1c",
"redirectUrl": "https://my.qvard.com/pay/8f3k2a1c"
},
"code": 201,
"message": "success",
"status": true
}Security basics
Keep x-api-key on the server, check the x-api-key header on every webhook and accept only HTTPS endpoints. Treat the redirect as navigation, not as confirmation of payment.
When another product fits better
Without a backend, a payment link is simpler. Embedded checkout, the SDK, Terminal and Telegram checkout are on the roadmap; today the same result comes from the API and the hosted page.
FAQ
Is host-to-host the same as an API?
It is an API-based model in which the server talks to the gateway directly. The term describes who makes the call, the server, rather than a separate protocol.
Do I need a dedicated server?
No. Any backend that can make HTTPS requests and expose a webhook URL is enough.
What does the gateway cost?
The base rate is 1% per payment, individual rates go down to 0.1% with volume, and network fees are paid separately.
Can I combine host-to-host with the hosted page?
Yes, that is the standard flow: the API creates the payment and the hosted page collects it.
