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Google Checkout

Google Checkout Glossary

API
Application Programming Interface. For Google Checkout, the API is the set of HTML parameters or XML tags that a merchant can use to communicate with Checkout servers. This includes sending buyer's order to the Checkout servers, but can also encompass the parameters and tags used to communicate between a merchant's order processing system and Checkout servers.
browser-to-server request
Same as client-to-server.
buyer account
A Google account you can sign up for at checkout.google.com that enables you to buy items through Google Checkout. A buyer can check the status of orders at the buyer account website. Such an account is called a production buyer account, which requires a real credit card number. For testing purposes, a merchant can create a Sandbox buyer account that uses a test credit card number. Compare with merchant account.
buyer account website
A buyer's Google Checkout account website, located at http://checkout.google.com. It enables a buyer to see orders they have placed, what charges have been made against their credit cards and the ship status, and modify account settings. Similarly, a merchant has a Merchant Center.
cart
See shopping cart.
Checkout
See Google Checkout.
Checkout production server
The Google Checkout server used by a merchant's production site for actual live purchases. Money is actually credited and debited from buyer accounts for purchases. Merchants should post their carts to this server only after carefully testing, such as to a Sandbox server.
client-to-server request
An HTTP request where a browser sends a request directly to the Google Checkout server. Also called client-to-server request. Compare with server-to-server request. Also called "browser-to -server".
conversion
The process of a potential buyer entering your website and making it all the way to an actual purchase. The term conversion tracking refers to analyzing website activity to determine how many potential buyers actually make a purchase.
deployed
Refers to shopping carts that are installed and run on the merchant's server rather than a shopping cart provider's or Google's server. Used in reference to integration partners. Also see hosted.
developer
A programmer who has a strong working knowledge of HTML and possibly some other language (XML, PHP, Java, .NET, Perl, ASP or Ruby)
digital signature
A form of secure cryptography. In Google Checkout when using the XML API, a digital signature encrypts the purchase order, ensuring the merchant's identity and that the order has not been tampered with since it was encrypted.
Google Checkout
A convenient way for buyers to purchase items by storing their credit card information with Google rather than giving it to sellers. Each buyer needs a buyer account, and each seller needs a merchant account.
hosted
Refers to shopping carts that are installed and run on the shopping cart provider's server rather than the merchant's or Google's server. Used in reference to integration partners. Also see deployed.
HTML form
An HTML representation of the shopping cart with the items the buyer as selected. The form contains the item names, prices, descriptions, tax rules and shipping settings. This term is used in reference to custom carts, where a developer writes code to construct an HTML form for posting from a browser to the Google Checkout server. Similar to HTTP request.
HTTP request
An HTTP representation of the shopping cart with the items the buyer as selected. The form contains the item names, prices, descriptions, tax rules and shipping settings. This term is used in reference to custom carts, where a developer writes code to construct an HTTP request for posting from the merchant's server to the Google Checkout server. Similar to HTML form.
HTTP basic authentication
A method of providing a user name and password when making an HTTP request. However, as these credentials are passed as clear text, basic authentication is insecure unless accompanied by an external secure system such as SSL. In Google Checkout, API requests to Google must use HTTP basic authentication.
integrate
The process of a merchant modifying their product web page to enable buyers to purchase items via Google Checkout. Thereby, a merchant "integrates" Google Checkout with their website. A merchant can also integrate their backend order processing system with Checkout. The term "integrate" implies that programming is required. So a merchant "adds" a BuyNow button to their website (which requires only copy and paste of HTML), but "integrates" Google Checkout with their custom shopping cart.
integration option
Any of several ways a merchant can integrate Google Checkout with their online store. They can do shopping cart integration or order processing integration. See Integrate your website with Google Checkout.
merchant
A seller who offers products or services to sell online.
merchant account
A Google account you can sign up for at checkout.google.com/sell that enables you to sell items through Google Checkout. Signing up with a merchant account automatically also lets you buy items from other merchants. Such an account is called a production buyer account, which does actually execute debits and credits. For testing purposes, a merchant can create a Sandbox seller account that does not actually execute debits and credits. Compare with buyer account.
Merchant Center
A merchant's Google Checkout account website, located at http://checkout.google.com/sell. It enables a merchant to see orders as they come in, charge orders, mark them as shipped, see payouts, create new Checkout buttons and carts, and modify account settings. Similarly, a buyer has a Google Checkout buyer account website.
Merchant ID
A unique, numeric code assigned to your business by Google. If you have an account, you can find it by signing in to Google Checkout, clicking on Settings, then Integration.
Merchant Key
A unique code that helps secure your communications with Google. Both you and Google will use this key to authenticate and verify any messages you exchange. You'll also need your key to integrate your off-the-shelf shopping cart or custom-built shopping cart with Google Checkout. If you have an account, you can find your Merchant Key by signing in to Google Checkout, clicking on Settings, then Integration.
off-the-shelf cart
A shopping cart that is developed by a third party and made available to anyone. Constrast with custom cart.
order processing integration
Adding code to a merchant's online store to enable the merchant to list items that buyers have ordered, charge them to a credit cart, for payment by credit card and shipment to the buyer. Compare with Merchant Center, which lets a merchant manually do order processing without having to do any code integration.
post
A method of sending HTML data as name/value pairs from a browser to a server. The Google Checkout HTML API uses a POST method in an HTML form to pick up name/value pairs that describe what is in your cart and send them to the Google Checkout server. Here is an example of a post that sends the name "item_description_1" and value "Chunky peanut butter": 
    <form method="POST"
          action="https://checkout.google.com/cws/v2/Merchant/REPLACE_WITH_YOUR_MERCHANT_ID/checkoutForm" 
          accept-charset="utf-8">
      ...
      name="item_description_1" and value="Chunky peanut butter"
      ...
    </form>

Attribute action defines where to post the information, and accept-charset specifies the type of characters used in the data.

pre-integrated cart
A shopping cart that has already been integrated with Google Checkout by one of our integration partners. It displays the Google Checkout button and includes the underlying code to enable buyers to add items to the cart and complete the order through Google Checkout. Typically, a pre-integrated cart is developed by a third party and made available to anyone. Contrast with custom shopping cart.
production
An environment that is live and up and running on the Internet. For example, with Google Checkout, a buyer can place orders on a merchant's website to make actual live purchases against their credit card. The orders are posted to a Google Checkout production server. Compare with Sandbox
production site
A website that a merchant publishes where buyers come to make actual live purchases. The orders are posted to a Google Checkout production server. Also known as an online store.
Sandbox
A Google Checkout environment that helps a merchant test their implementation by offering the same functionality as the production Google Checkout system but without executing debits or credits to the buyer's credit card. Also see Sandbox documentation. Compare with production.
Sandbox server
The Google Checkout testing server. Merchants send HTTP requests to the Sandbox server when they want to test the placing and processing of orders. The merchant can sign in to the Sandbox as a buyer and place an order to experience the steps that follow a purchase, such as receiving notifications and status changes, without executing debits or credits to a credit card. Also see production server.
server-to-server request
An HTTP request where a browser initially sends a request to the merchant's server, which then modifies and forwards the request to a Google Checkout server. Using a server-to-server request with the HTML API enables the merchant to check the order to ensure the prices have not been tampered with before forwarding the order to Google Checkout. Compare with client-to-server request.
shopping cart
A container that holds items the buyer has selected to purchase. Each item has a name, quantity, price, description and image, and may have other information. (Tax and shipping information can be stored in the shopping cart or in the Merchant Center.) These items are typically visible to the buyer; the cart also has a code representation where, when the buyer places the order, that information is bundled up and sent to Google Checkout for the merchant to charge and ship.

Three different mutually-exclusive types of carts can support Google Checkout, as shown in the diagram below.
  • Google Checkout shopping cart - The cart provided by Google. This cart is documented at Google Checkout Shopping Cart and is built into the Store Gadget.
  • Custom shopping cart - A cart custom-built especially for a single merchant, such that the merchant's programmer can customize the product page templates, add new features such as extend the shopping cart to new payment systems. Google Checkout can be integrated with such a cart by the merchant. A custom cart can be one that a developer developed and integrated for you, one that you downloaded and integrated yourself, or one that you created yourself.
  • Third party shopping cart - A cart developed by a third party for a wide range of merchants. In general, a third party cart does not allow a merchant to modify product templates or add new features or extend the cart to new payment systems — the cart either has Google Checkout support built into it or not (but could).

shopping cart integration
Adding code to a merchant's online store to enable collecting buyer's items into a cart with a Google Checkout button. When the buyer clicks this button, it posts the items to Google Checkout for order processing.
signed cart
A cart that has a cryptographically secure digital signature. This enables Google to verify that your Checkout API request was not altered between the time the order was placed and Google received it. You must use the XML API if you want to post signed shopping carts. The HTML API cannot post a signed cart, which means you would need to review all orders before charging customers and filling orders to ensure that the prices and other information in those orders are valid.
signature
See digital signature.
SSL certificate
A digital certificate issued by a third party which confirms that a message that actually did come from the person identified. In Google Checkout, you need an SSL certificate if you're integrating your order management system. Take a look at our list of accepted SSL certificates.
xml cart
A piece of XML code that contains a the items the buyer has selected to purchase. An XML cart is a code representation of a shopping cart and is not visible to the buyer. When an order is placed, the merchant's server copies the shopping cart contents to an XML cart, which it then encodes, signes and sends to the Checkout server.