2006

Testing PayPal Web Services API Applications
Requesting API Credentials from PayPal
34 June 2006
Requesting API Credentials from PayPal
API credentials consist of the following:
z API username that identifies you to the PayPal Web Services API service
z API password for that API username
z PayPal-issued digital certificate. To ensure security for your customers and your business, a
public certificate and private key issued by PayPal are required for use of the PayPal Web
Services API, SDK, and Sandbox. The certificate file is in PEM format, contains both your
private key and your public certificate, and must be converted to PKCS12 format.
To obtain a PayPal Web Services API username, password, and digital certificate, you must
first create a Business or Premier account and apply online in either the Sandbox or the live
PayPal site,
https://www.paypal.com.
To get a Sandbox certificate
PayPal automatically issues digital certificates for use with the Sandbox.
1. With your PayPal Business or Premier account email address, log in to Developer Central
at
https://developer.paypal.com/.
2. Launch the Sandbox.
3. Log in to the Sandbox
4. Navigate to My Account > Profile.
5. Click the API Access link.
6. Click the API Certificate Request link.
7. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete your certificate request.
To download your PayPal API test certificate:
1. Log in to Developer Central.
2. Click the Test Certificates tab.
3. Click Download at the lower right.
4. Save the file to your local disk.
To get a live PayPal certificate
The steps to get a live certificate are the same as those for a Sandbox certificate, except for
Step 1, 2, and 3:
z Login to https://www.paypal.com/ to request the certificate.