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This go-live checklist will help you finalize the Live site after configuring your Chargebee Test site via the implementation guide. A Live site is one where transactions occur in real time, involving actual charges to payment methods and real income generation.
To activate your Live site, click the Select Plan next to your site name. Learn more about Live sites.
You need to put your credit card on file before using the Live site. You can review the most recent Chargebee plans and pricing to understand how you will be billed.
Kickstart the transfer process by prioritizing the migration of crucial configurations, products, and pricing data. You can select the following settings to transfer from the Test to the Live site.
We recommend that you transfer everything:
If you skipped any step on the TEST site implementation guide, you can either complete that first in the TEST Site and then transfer it or directly set it up on the LIVE site.
To start the transfer, click Settings > Configure Chargebee > Transfer Configurations.
Learn more about Transfer Configurations.
While you can use Transfer Configurations to transfer the majority of the settings and data from the Test and Live site, you need to re-configure the following settings on the LIVE Site.
When you have already invited users to your Test site and need those users to have access to your Live site as well, re-invite those users again from the Live site. In Chargebee, access is controlled at a site level, irrespective of the Test or Live site. Therefore, you need to invite users explicitly for each site.
Connect your production/live version of your Payment Gateway to the LIVE site. Learn more about setting up a payment gateway.
API Keys authenticate your application and control its access to the Chargebee API .
API Keys for Test and Live sites are distinct from each other.
To create and configure the API keys, select Settings > Configure Chargebee > API Keys and Webhooks, and then click on the API Keys tab.
If you have integrated Chargebee Checkout into your website, simply replace the domain name in your integration script or URL. For example: acme-test → acme.
Reconfigure your tax settings on your live site. Click here to learn more about taxes.
We recommend that you run a few small-value test transactions with real cards in your Live site before offering it to your customers.
Try these tests using all the card types that you've enabled.
To test billing configurations, you can use Time Machine a unique simulation tool designed to let users virtually travel back in time. It facilitates the testing of various features, including dunning, consolidated invoicing, subscription states, scheduled subscription actions, and webhooks, helping you anticipate how the configured billing rules in your test site will perform in real-world scenarios.
Once you have completed all the test transactions, please log in to your Live payment gateway account and check for corresponding entries there.
There are a few things that you will need to have done outside of Chargebee:
Security is non-negotiable, and it pays to have a proper SSL certificate, regardless of whether you let credit card information pass through your server or not.
Wildcard certificates are expensive but thankfully you do not need them, unless you intend to allow your customers to create subdomains under your site, just like Chargebee.
As a merchant, you will only need a single domain certificate with a named sub-domain, like app.xyz.com or billing.xyz.
The SSL certificate requirements differ based on how you integrate with Chargebee:
Chargebee's Checkout
SSL Certificate is not mandatory for merchants using Chargebee's Checkout. However, we do recommend configuring HTTPS for the webhook URLs.
iframe-based Checkout Pages
Even though Chargebee's checkout page has HTTPS, end users would see the merchant's website address in the browser URL. If you use HTTP, end users may think they are entering the credit card on an insecure page. Though not mandatory from the compliance point of view, we strongly recommend using HTTPS for iframe-based checkout pages to ensure a better checkout experience for end users.
API-based/Custom Checkout Pages
It is mandatory for merchants using custom checkout pages to have HTTPS configured. As credit card details are transferred via the merchant's servers, having an SSL certificate is mandatory.
Where to get SSL Certificates
You can get an SSL certificate from many companies, and the price varies from $9 per year to $195 per year, depending on the provider.
Here are a few that we suggest in an unordered list:
Setting up and installing SSL is quite easy and takes anywhere between 30 minutes to an hour approximately. All you need to do is buy the certificate from a trusted and renowned source and install it.
As a customer of Chargebee using Chargebee's Checkout, all you have to do is to submit a Self Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ-A) to stay compliant (the basic level of compliance required).
Your exposure is minimal when using Chargebee Checkout with the basic declaration to submit to Payment Gateway. Some gateways ask for this SAQ-A form to be submitted once a year and some don't.
You may download the latest version of the SAQ-A document from the PCI Security Standards Website . It is under the SAQs section. For any queries, email security@chargebee.com.
If you don't already have an approved payment gateway and merchant account, you need to get them right away before going live. Learn more about the card payment method.
As part of your payment gateway settings, check these documents as well:
You can migrate your data from any other billing provider or a Third-party system to Chargebee.
Users can opt for Self-migration using Chargebee's Bulk Operations or Import API(subscriptions , invoices ) for API users. Alternatively, our migration team can assist with a smoother experience. To raise a request to our migration team, go to your Chargebee app and click Settings > Import and Export data > Raise a migration request.
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