Authorize.net

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Authorize.Net

Type	Public
Founded	1996
Headquarters	American Fork, Utah, USA
Industry	Internet, Communications
Slogan	Your gateway to IP transactions.
Website	www.authorize.net/

Authorize.Net is a payment gateway service provider allowing merchants to accept credit card and electronic checks payments through their Web site and over an IP (Internet Protocol) connection. With a userbase of over 150,000 merchants Authorize.net is the largest payment gateway service provider. Every major and virtually every minor shopping cart supports Authorize.net's Advanced Integration Method (see below) by default.

Authorize.Net does not sell its services directly to merchants. A merchant wishing to use their payment gateway services must contact a reseller. Authorize.Net resellers are typically merchant account providers as the two services go hand-in-hand. As a result of using resellers pricing for an instance of their payment gateway will vary.

Authorize.Net offers two ways to integrate their payment gateway services into a merchant's Web site. The first method is called the Simple Integration Method (SIM). As the name implies this method is the less technically complex of the two. Using the Simple Integration Method a merchant would send the customer to the Authorize.Net website where a secure order page will capture their transaction information. Upon completion of the transaction the customer is returned to the merchant's Web site. This method is usually preferred by small businesses who do not have the technical capabilities to do a more advanced integration.

The second method of integration is called the Advanced Integration Method (AIM). This method of integration is more complex but more powerful then the Simple Integration Method. The Advanced Integration Method utilizes the Authorize.Net API to process a transaction without the customer leaving the merchant's Web site. The customer is unaware of how the transaction is processed and the checkout process is seamless to them. This method is usually chosen by larger businesses that wish to present their Web site in a professional manner.

A common misperception about Authorize.Net is that they are a merchant account provider. Authorize.net currently does not offer merchant accounts as a service. To use the payment gateway offered by Authorize.Net a merchant will need to establish a merchant account through a separate company.

1 DDoS Attacks
2 In The News
3 See Also
4 External Links
- 4.1 Integration Examples (Code)

[edit] DDoS Attacks

Authorize.Net's large userbase makes them an ideal target for hackers and extortionists. In September 2004 Authorize.Net's servers were hit by a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack. The DDoS attack lasted for over one week and caused a virtual shut down of the payment gateway's service. The attackers demanded money from Authorize.net in exchange for stopping the attack.