Skip to main content

Terminology

Common terms​

  • API keys - Codes that give a merchant access to the API (e.g., client_id, client_secret, Vipps-Subscription-Key). Also called API credentials. Think of them as "username and password". The API keys are found in on portal.vipps.no in the Utvikler section, under Show keys.

  • BankID - Software that certifies the identity of a person.

  • Brønnøysundregistrene - The official Norwegian register of companies.

  • client_id - The client ID (e.g., the "username") for the merchant. This is one of the API keys that is retrieved by logging in on portal.vipps.no.

  • client_secret - The client secret (e.g., "password") for the merchant. This is one of the API keys that is retrieved by logging in on portal.vipps.no.

  • D-number - A Norwegian identification number given to foreign persons who do not have a Norwegian national identity number (NIN), but have a need for identification for the Norwegian authorities.

  • Deeplink - The Vipps "deeplink" opens the payment page in Vipps where the user accepts a payment. This is an integrated part of the Vipps payment process, and the link should never be sent in an SMS or email.

  • Direct capture - Direct capture causes all payment reservations to be instantly captured. This is intended for situations where the product or service is immediately provided to the customer, e.g. digital services.

  • Finanstilsynet - A Norwegian agency that supervises Norwegian financial companies.

  • Fødselsnummer: See: National identity number.

  • Idempotency-Key - An idempotency header ensures that, if the merchant retries a request with the same idempotency key, the retried request will not make additional changes. See the API specification for the requirements for the idempotency key.

  • Merchant - A juridical unit, typically called a business or company, identified with organization number (orgno).

  • Merchant Serial Number (MSN) - The unique id of a sales unit. MSN is short for "Merchant Serial Number", but identifies a sales unit, not a merchant. A payment is uniquely identified by the combination of merchantSerialNumber and orderId (e.g., acme-shop-123-order123abc). Partners must always send the Merchant-Serial-Number header, and we recommend that everyone sends it, also when using the merchant's own API keys. The Merchant-Serial-Number header can be used with all API keys and can speed up any troubleshooting of API problems quite a bit.

  • National identity number: An 11 digit number that uniquely identifies each Norwegian citizen.

  • Ocp-Apim-Subscription-Key - The header which supplies the subscription key, Vipps-Subscription-Key, for the Vipps API.

  • orderId - The API parameter that supplies a unique identifier for the payment. This is the same as reference. Newer APIs will use reference instead of orderId. See the API specification for the requirements for this id.

  • orgno - The organization number for a merchant. Nine digits. Can be used to retrieve information at Brønnøysundregistrene.

  • Partner - A Vipps partner is a company that represents several merchants by providing a platform, helping set up custom integrations, or developing Vipps' official plugins. See: Vipps partners.

  • Partner keys - Unique identifiers that allow partners to use their own API credentials to make API calls on behalf of their merchants. See: Partner keys.

  • Payment Service Provider (PSP) - A third-party company that performs online payments on behalf of Vipps. Vipps does not handle the settlements for PSP integrations. These are handled by the PSP.

  • reference - The API parameter that supplies a unique identifier for the payment. This is the same as orderId. Newer APIs will use reference instead of orderId.

  • Reserve capture - Reserve capture is the normal flow. When the end user approves an initiated payment, it will be reserved until you capture it. When the order is reserved, the amount is marked as reserved by the bank, but not transferred.

  • Sales unit - A merchant can have one or more sales units. It may be different brands, different physical locations, different services, etc.

  • Vipps-Subscription-Key - This subscription key is retrieved by logging in on portal.vipps.no. The header which supplies the subscription key to the Vipps API is Ocp-Apim-Subscription-Key.

Commonly used Norwegian words​

  • Abonnement - subscription

  • Betale, betalt, betalinger - Pay, paid, payments

  • Fødselsnummer - Norwegian identity number, 11 digits. The last five digits are called "personnummer".

  • Månedsabonnement - Monthly subscription

  • Straksbetaling - Instant payments

  • Transaksjoner - Transactions

  • Utvikler - Software developer