Overlay Checkout - Dodo Payments Documentation

Overview

The Dodo Payments Checkout SDK provides a seamless way to integrate our payment overlay into your web application. Built with TypeScript and modern web standards, it offers a robust solution for handling payments with real-time event handling and customizable themes.

Demo

Interactive Demo

See the overlay checkout in action with our live demo.

Quick Start

Get started with the Dodo Payments Checkout SDK in just a few lines of code:

import { DodoPayments } from "dodopayments-checkout";

// Initialize the SDK
DodoPayments.Initialize({
  mode: "test", // 'test' or 'live'
  displayType: "overlay", // Optional: defaults to 'overlay' for overlay checkout
  onEvent: (event) => {
    console.log("Checkout event:", event);
  },
});

// Open checkout
DodoPayments.Checkout.open({
  checkoutUrl: "https://checkout.dodopayments.com/session/cks_123"
});

Get your checkout URL from the create checkout session API.

Step-by-Step Integration Guide

Install the SDK

Install the Dodo Payments Checkout SDK using your preferred package manager:

npm install dodopayments-checkout

yarn add dodopayments-checkout

pnpm add dodopayments-checkout

Initialize the SDK

Initialize the SDK in your application, typically in your main component or app entry point:

import { DodoPayments } from "dodopayments-checkout";

DodoPayments.Initialize({
  mode: "test", // Change to 'live' for production
  displayType: "overlay", // Optional: defaults to 'overlay' for overlay checkout
  onEvent: (event) => {
    console.log("Checkout event:", event);
    
    // Handle different events
    switch (event.event_type) {
      case "checkout.opened":
        // Checkout overlay has been opened
        break;
      case "checkout.closed":
        // Checkout has been closed
        break;
      case "checkout.error":
        // Handle errors
        console.error("Checkout error:", event.data?.message);
        break;
    }
  },
});

Always initialize the SDK before attempting to open the checkout. Initialization should happen once when your application loads.

Create a Checkout Button Component

Create a component that opens the checkout overlay:

// components/CheckoutButton.tsx
"use client";

import { Button } from "@/components/ui/button";
import { DodoPayments } from "dodopayments-checkout";
import { useEffect, useState } from "react";

export function CheckoutButton() {
  const [isLoading, setIsLoading] = useState(false);

  useEffect(() => {
    // Initialize the SDK
    DodoPayments.Initialize({
      mode: "test",
      displayType: "overlay",
      onEvent: (event) => {
        switch (event.event_type) {
          case "checkout.opened":
            setIsLoading(false);
            break;
          case "checkout.error":
            setIsLoading(false);
            console.error("Checkout error:", event.data?.message);
            break;
        }
      },
    });
  }, []);

  const handleCheckout = async () => {
    try {
      setIsLoading(true);
      await DodoPayments.Checkout.open({
        checkoutUrl: "https://checkout.dodopayments.com/session/cks_123"
      });
    } catch (error) {
      console.error("Failed to open checkout:", error);
      setIsLoading(false);
    }
  };

  return (
    <Button 
      onClick={handleCheckout}
      disabled={isLoading}
    >
      {isLoading ? "Loading..." : "Checkout Now"}
    </Button>
  );
}

Add Checkout to Your Page

Use the checkout button component in your application:

// app/page.tsx
import { CheckoutButton } from "@/components/CheckoutButton";

export default function Home() {
  return (
    <main className="flex min-h-screen flex-col items-center justify-center p-24">
      <h1>Welcome to Our Store</h1>
      <CheckoutButton />
    </main>
  );
}

Handle Success and Failure Pages

Create pages to handle checkout redirects:

// app/success/page.tsx
export default function SuccessPage() {
  return (
    <div className="flex min-h-screen flex-col items-center justify-center">
      <h1>Payment Successful!</h1>
      <p>Thank you for your purchase.</p>
    </div>
  );
}

// app/failure/page.tsx
export default function FailurePage() {
  return (
    <div className="flex min-h-screen flex-col items-center justify-center">
      <h1>Payment Failed</h1>
      <p>Please try again or contact support.</p>
    </div>
  );
}

Test Your Integration

Start your development server:

npm run dev

Test the checkout flow:
- Click the checkout button
- Verify the overlay appears
- Test the payment flow using test credentials
- Confirm redirects work correctly

You should see checkout events logged in your browser console.

Go Live

When you’re ready for production:

Change the mode to 'live':

DodoPayments.Initialize({
  mode: "live",
  displayType: "overlay",
  onEvent: (event) => {
    console.log("Checkout event:", event);
  }
});

Update your checkout URLs to use live checkout sessions from your backend
Test the complete flow in production
Monitor events and errors

API Reference

Configuration

Initialize Options

interface InitializeOptions {
  mode: "test" | "live";
  displayType?: "overlay" | "inline";
  onEvent: (event: CheckoutEvent) => void;
}

Option	Type	Required	Description
`mode`	`"test" \| "live"`	Yes	Environment mode: `'test'` for development, `'live'` for production
`displayType`	`"overlay" \| "inline"`	No	Display type: `'overlay'` for modal checkout (default), `'inline'` for embedded checkout
`onEvent`	`function`	Yes	Callback function for handling checkout events

Checkout Options

interface CheckoutOptions {
  checkoutUrl: string;
  options?: {
    showTimer?: boolean;
    showSecurityBadge?: boolean;
  };
}

Option	Type	Required	Description
`checkoutUrl`	`string`	Yes	Checkout session URL from the create checkout session API
`options.showTimer`	`boolean`	No	Show or hide the checkout timer. Defaults to `true`. When disabled, you will receive the `checkout.link_expired` event when the session expires.
`options.showSecurityBadge`	`boolean`	No	Show or hide the security badge. Defaults to `true`.

Methods

Open Checkout

Opens the checkout overlay with the specified checkout session URL.

DodoPayments.Checkout.open({
  checkoutUrl: "https://checkout.dodopayments.com/session/cks_123"
});

You can also pass additional options to customize the checkout behavior:

DodoPayments.Checkout.open({
  checkoutUrl: "https://checkout.dodopayments.com/session/cks_123",
  options: {
    showTimer: false,
    showSecurityBadge: false,
  },
});

Close Checkout

Programmatically closes the checkout overlay.

DodoPayments.Checkout.close();

Check Status

Returns whether the checkout overlay is currently open.

const isOpen = DodoPayments.Checkout.isOpen();
// Returns: boolean

Events

The SDK provides real-time events that you can listen to through the onEvent callback:

DodoPayments.Initialize({
  onEvent: (event: CheckoutEvent) => {
    switch (event.event_type) {
      case "checkout.opened":
        // Checkout overlay has been opened
        break;
      case "checkout.form_ready":
        // Checkout form is ready for user input
        break;
      case "checkout.payment_page_opened":
        // Payment page has been displayed
        break;
      case "checkout.customer_details_submitted":
        // Customer and billing details submitted
        break;
      case "checkout.closed":
        // Checkout has been closed
        break;
      case "checkout.redirect":
        // Checkout will perform a redirect
        break;
      case "checkout.error":
        // An error occurred
        console.error("Error:", event.data?.message);
        break;
      case "checkout.link_expired":
        // Checkout session has expired (only when showTimer is false)
        break;
    }
  }
});

Event Type	Description
`checkout.opened`	Checkout overlay has been opened
`checkout.form_ready`	Checkout form is ready to receive user input. Useful for hiding loading states.
`checkout.payment_page_opened`	Payment page has been displayed
`checkout.customer_details_submitted`	Customer and billing details have been submitted
`checkout.closed`	Checkout overlay has been closed
`checkout.redirect`	Checkout will perform a redirect
`checkout.error`	An error occurred during checkout
`checkout.link_expired`	Fired when the checkout session expires. Only received when `showTimer` is set to `false`.

Implementation Options

Package Manager Installation

Install via npm, yarn, or pnpm as shown in the Step-by-Step Integration Guide.

CDN Implementation

For quick integration without a build step, you can use our CDN:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8">
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
    <title>Dodo Payments Checkout</title>
    
    <!-- Load DodoPayments -->
    <script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/dodopayments-checkout@latest/dist/index.js"></script>
    <script>
        // Initialize the SDK
        DodoPaymentsCheckout.DodoPayments.Initialize({
            mode: "test", // Change to 'live' for production
            displayType: "overlay",
            onEvent: (event) => {
                console.log('Checkout event:', event);
            }
        });
    </script>
</head>
<body>
    <button onclick="openCheckout()">Checkout Now</button>

    <script>
        function openCheckout() {
            DodoPaymentsCheckout.DodoPayments.Checkout.open({
                checkoutUrl: "https://checkout.dodopayments.com/session/cks_123"
            });
        }
    </script>
</body>
</html>

Theme Customization

You can customize the checkout appearance by passing a themeConfig object in the options parameter when opening checkout. The theme configuration supports both light and dark modes, allowing you to customize colors, borders, text, buttons, and border radius.

The client-side themeConfig option is deprecated and will be removed in the next major version of the Checkout SDK (v2.0.0). Passing it logs a deprecation warning in the browser console. Configure your theme when creating the checkout session via the API instead, using the customization.theme_config parameter — see Checkout Theme Customization — or visually on the Design page in the dashboard. Session-configured themes apply to overlay, inline, and hosted checkout alike.

This section covers the deprecated client-side theme configuration using the Checkout SDK. The recommended approach is to configure themes server-side when creating a checkout session via the API using the theme_config parameter. See Checkout Theme Customization for API-level configuration, or use the Design page in the dashboard to configure themes visually with live preview.

Basic Theme Configuration

DodoPayments.Checkout.open({
  checkoutUrl: "https://checkout.dodopayments.com/session/cks_123",
  options: {
    themeConfig: {
      light: {
        bgPrimary: "#FFFFFF",
        textPrimary: "#344054",
        buttonPrimary: "#A6E500",
      },
      dark: {
        bgPrimary: "#0D0D0D",
        textPrimary: "#FFFFFF",
        buttonPrimary: "#A6E500",
      },
      radius: "8px",
    },
  },
});

Complete Theme Configuration

All available theme properties:

DodoPayments.Checkout.open({
  checkoutUrl: "https://checkout.dodopayments.com/session/cks_123",
  options: {
    themeConfig: {
      light: {
        // Background colors
        bgPrimary: "#FFFFFF",        // Primary background color
        bgSecondary: "#F9FAFB",      // Secondary background color (e.g., tabs)
        
        // Border colors
        borderPrimary: "#D0D5DD",     // Primary border color
        borderSecondary: "#6B7280",  // Secondary border color
        
        // Text colors
        textPrimary: "#344054",       // Primary text color
        textSecondary: "#6B7280",    // Secondary text color
        textPlaceholder: "#667085",  // Placeholder text color
        textError: "#D92D20",        // Error text color
        textSuccess: "#10B981",      // Success text color
        
        // Button colors
        buttonPrimary: "#A6E500",           // Primary button background
        buttonPrimaryHover: "#8CC500",      // Primary button hover state
        buttonTextPrimary: "#0D0D0D",       // Primary button text color
        buttonSecondary: "#F3F4F6",         // Secondary button background
        buttonSecondaryHover: "#E5E7EB",     // Secondary button hover state
        buttonTextSecondary: "#344054",     // Secondary button text color
      },
      dark: {
        // Background colors
        bgPrimary: "#0D0D0D",
        bgSecondary: "#1A1A1A",
        
        // Border colors
        borderPrimary: "#323232",
        borderSecondary: "#D1D5DB",
        
        // Text colors
        textPrimary: "#FFFFFF",
        textSecondary: "#909090",
        textPlaceholder: "#9CA3AF",
        textError: "#F97066",
        textSuccess: "#34D399",
        
        // Button colors
        buttonPrimary: "#A6E500",
        buttonPrimaryHover: "#8CC500",
        buttonTextPrimary: "#0D0D0D",
        buttonSecondary: "#2A2A2A",
        buttonSecondaryHover: "#3A3A3A",
        buttonTextSecondary: "#FFFFFF",
      },
      radius: "8px", // Border radius for inputs, buttons, and tabs
    },
  },
});

Light Mode Only

If you only want to customize the light theme:

DodoPayments.Checkout.open({
  checkoutUrl: "https://checkout.dodopayments.com/session/cks_123",
  options: {
    themeConfig: {
      light: {
        bgPrimary: "#FFFFFF",
        textPrimary: "#000000",
        buttonPrimary: "#0070F3",
      },
      radius: "12px",
    },
  },
});

Dark Mode Only

If you only want to customize the dark theme:

DodoPayments.Checkout.open({
  checkoutUrl: "https://checkout.dodopayments.com/session/cks_123",
  options: {
    themeConfig: {
      dark: {
        bgPrimary: "#000000",
        textPrimary: "#FFFFFF",
        buttonPrimary: "#0070F3",
      },
      radius: "12px",
    },
  },
});

Partial Theme Override

You can override only specific properties. The checkout will use default values for properties you don’t specify:

DodoPayments.Checkout.open({
  checkoutUrl: "https://checkout.dodopayments.com/session/cks_123",
  options: {
    themeConfig: {
      light: {
        buttonPrimary: "#FF6B6B", // Only override primary button color
      },
      radius: "16px", // Override border radius
    },
  },
});

Theme Configuration with Other Options

You can combine theme configuration with other checkout options:

DodoPayments.Checkout.open({
  checkoutUrl: "https://checkout.dodopayments.com/session/cks_123",
  options: {
    showTimer: true,
    showSecurityBadge: true,
    themeConfig: {
      light: {
        bgPrimary: "#FFFFFF",
        buttonPrimary: "#A6E500",
      },
      dark: {
        bgPrimary: "#0D0D0D",
        buttonPrimary: "#A6E500",
      },
      radius: "8px",
    },
  },
});

TypeScript Types

For TypeScript users, all theme configuration types are exported:

import { ThemeConfig, ThemeModeConfig } from "dodopayments-checkout";

const themeConfig: ThemeConfig = {
  light: {
    bgPrimary: "#FFFFFF",
    // ... other properties
  },
  dark: {
    bgPrimary: "#0D0D0D",
    // ... other properties
  },
  radius: "8px",
};

Error Handling

The SDK provides detailed error information through the event system. Always implement proper error handling in your onEvent callback:

DodoPayments.Initialize({
  mode: "test",
  displayType: "overlay",
  onEvent: (event: CheckoutEvent) => {
    if (event.event_type === "checkout.error") {
      console.error("Checkout error:", event.data?.message);
      // Handle error appropriately
      // You may want to show a user-friendly error message
      // or retry the checkout process
    }
    if (event.event_type === "checkout.link_expired") {
      // Handle expired checkout session
      console.warn("Checkout session has expired");
    }
  }
});

Always handle the checkout.error event to provide a good user experience when errors occur.

Best Practices

Initialize once: Initialize the SDK once when your application loads, not on every checkout attempt
Error handling: Always implement proper error handling in your event callback
Test mode: Use test mode during development and switch to live only when ready for production
Event handling: Handle all relevant events for a complete user experience
Valid URLs: Always use valid checkout URLs from the create checkout session API
TypeScript: Use TypeScript for better type safety and developer experience
Loading states: Show loading states while the checkout is opening to improve UX
Timer management: Disable the timer (showTimer: false) if you want to handle session expiration manually

Troubleshooting

Checkout not opening

Possible causes:

SDK not initialized before calling open()
Invalid checkout URL
JavaScript errors in console
Network connectivity issues

Solutions:

Verify SDK initialization happens before opening checkout
Check for console errors
Ensure checkout URL is valid and from the create checkout session API
Verify network connectivity

Events not firing

Possible causes:

Event handler not properly set up
JavaScript errors preventing event propagation
SDK not initialized correctly

Solutions:

Confirm event handler is properly configured in Initialize()
Check browser console for JavaScript errors
Verify SDK initialization completed successfully
Test with a simple event handler first

Styling issues

Possible causes:

CSS conflicts with your application styles
Theme settings not applied correctly
Responsive design issues

Solutions:

Check for CSS conflicts in browser DevTools
Verify theme settings are correct
Test on different screen sizes
Ensure no z-index conflicts with overlay

Enabling Digital Wallets

For detailed information about setting up Google Pay and other digital wallets, see the Digital Wallets page.

Apple Pay is not yet supported in overlay checkout. Support for Apple Pay is coming soon.

Browser Support

The Dodo Payments Checkout SDK supports the following browsers:

Chrome (latest)
Firefox (latest)
Safari (latest)
Edge (latest)
IE11+

Overlay vs Inline Checkout

Choose the right checkout type for your use case:

Feature	Overlay Checkout	Inline Checkout
Integration depth	Modal on top of page	Fully embedded in page
Layout control	Limited	Full control
Branding	Separate from page	Seamless
Implementation effort	Lower	Higher
Best for	Quick integration, existing pages	Custom checkout pages, high-conversion flows

Use overlay checkout for faster integration with minimal changes to your existing pages. Use inline checkout when you want maximum control over the checkout experience and seamless branding.

Inline Checkout

Embed checkout directly into your page for fully integrated experiences.

Checkout Sessions API

Create checkout sessions to power your checkout experiences.

Webhooks

Handle payment events server-side with webhooks.

Integration Guide

Complete guide to integrating Dodo Payments.

For more help, visit our Discord community or contact our developer support team.

​Overview

​Demo

Interactive Demo

​Quick Start

​Step-by-Step Integration Guide

​API Reference

​Configuration

​Initialize Options

​Checkout Options

​Methods

​Open Checkout

​Close Checkout

​Check Status

​Events

​Implementation Options

​Package Manager Installation

​CDN Implementation

​Theme Customization

​Basic Theme Configuration

​Complete Theme Configuration

​Light Mode Only

​Dark Mode Only

​Partial Theme Override

​Theme Configuration with Other Options

​TypeScript Types

​Error Handling

​Best Practices

​Troubleshooting

​Enabling Digital Wallets

​Browser Support

​Overlay vs Inline Checkout

​Related Resources

Inline Checkout

Checkout Sessions API

Webhooks

Integration Guide

Overview

Demo

Quick Start

Step-by-Step Integration Guide

API Reference

Configuration

Initialize Options

Checkout Options

Methods

Open Checkout

Close Checkout

Check Status

Events

Implementation Options

Package Manager Installation

CDN Implementation

Theme Customization

Basic Theme Configuration

Complete Theme Configuration

Light Mode Only

Dark Mode Only

Partial Theme Override

Theme Configuration with Other Options

TypeScript Types

Error Handling

Best Practices

Troubleshooting

Enabling Digital Wallets

Browser Support

Overlay vs Inline Checkout

Related Resources