Unlocking Seamless Payments: Stripe Checkout Comes Alive – Day 18 of ISO Tracker

TL;DR: Today, I built a smooth, secure checkout flow that lets users subscribe before signing up — laying the groundwork for an even better, authenticated experience tomorrow.

🎯 Today's Focus

After wrestling with payment setups for a bit, I dove into creating a checkout system that feels effortless — letting people pick a subscription, enter their email, and pay through Stripe without needing an account first. This was all about ironing out the payment experience before adding login walls.

✨ Key Wins

Setting up Stripe in TEST mode felt like assembling a digital shop window. I created four subscription products — think Event Pass and Evidence Analyst plans, each with monthly and annual options — complete with test price IDs. This step might sound like just clicking buttons in Stripe’s dashboard, but it’s the foundation for everything users will buy. Without it, there’s no way to securely process payments or handle recurring billing.

Next came the real magic: building the unauthenticated checkout flow. Usually, apps make you sign up before you pay, but I wanted to remove that friction. So, I crafted a system where users enter their email and pick a plan, and behind the scenes, a Stripe checkout session is created. This way, even without an account, they can complete the purchase seamlessly. Why does this matter? Because lowering barriers means more people can try ISO Tracker risk-free, increasing signups and trust.

To keep things reliable, I added a diagnostic logging system that captures every request and response in the checkout process. Think of it as a detailed trail of breadcrumbs — if anything breaks, I can quickly trace where and why. It’s like having a superpower for debugging, especially when dealing with payment flows that can be tricky.

Finally, after testing everything end-to-end, I made sure users land on a success page after payment — the moment of triumph when all that hard work pays off. I also updated my project plan with a production checklist, so when I’m ready to go live, I won’t miss crucial steps like creating live Stripe products or setting environment variables.

💡 What I Learned

Stripe’s checkout sessions are surprisingly flexible. By decoupling authentication from payment, I discovered I can offer a smoother initial user experience. Plus, detailed logging is worth every extra line of code — it saves hours of head-scratching when payments don’t go as planned.

🔧 Challenge of the Day

Smooth sailing today! 🚢 The biggest hurdle was conceptual — figuring out how to let users pay before signing up without compromising data integrity or security. Once I nailed that, the rest was about careful implementation and testing. I’m glad I tackled this early because tomorrow’s OAuth integration will build directly on this foundation.

📊 Progress Snapshot

• Completed: 5 tasks
• Momentum: 🚀 High

🔮 Tomorrow's Mission

Next up is adding an authentication modal with Google, Apple, and email magic link options. I’ll update the checkout flow to require login before redirecting to Stripe, making the experience even more secure and personalized.

---

Part of my build-in-public journey with ISO Tracker. Follow along for daily updates!