Choose an integration architecture

Before you start building a point-of-sale integration, you need to choose an integration architecture. This determines how your integration connects to the Adyen payments platform.

We offer two integration architectures for our Terminal API:

• Local communications: the POS system communicates directly with the payment terminal over your local network.
• Cloud communications: the POS system communicates with the payment terminal over the internet.

Local communications

With a local Terminal API integration, your POS system communicates directly with the terminal over your local network. To make a payment, you make an API request directly to the IP address of the terminal, for the shopper to complete the transaction. You receive the result of the payment synchronously.

Cloud communications

With a cloud Terminal API integration, your POS system communicates with the terminal over the internet. To make a payment, you make an API request to the Adyen payments platform. This request is forwarded to the terminal, for the shopper to complete the transaction. You can choose whether you want to receive the result of the payments synchronously or asynchronously.

Choosing between cloud and local

When choosing an integration architecture, you should consider aspects like ease of integration, security, and usability. For example, a cloud integration is easier to implement but may not support all use cases. A local integration on the other hand can be more robust but requires an additional effort to ensure the local network communication between the POS system and the terminal is safe.

To decide between cloud or local communications:

1. To find out what integration architecture we recommend in general for your type of situation, select Start below and answer a few questions.
2. Check if the technical know-how for managing the network at the physical location is at the required level.

Technical know-how

The success of your cloud or local integration is influenced by various technical and practical aspects.

• Infrastructure and management of the in-store network:
  The team or service provider managing the network at the physical location needs to have the expertise to configure the network for the use of payment terminals. They also need to configure the IP addresses of the terminals:

  • A local integration should use DHCP reservation, or manually configured static IP addresses.
  • A cloud integration should use dynamic IP addresses without DHCP reservation.
  • If possible, the DHCP lease time should be set to 24 hours or more so that the IP addresses don't change too often.

  For information about technical aspects, see Network configuration.

• Problems with the in-store network:
  Adyen can't provide support for network issues that occur at the physical location. You need to ensure you have a team or service provider with the expertise to solve any network issues.