saleor-checkout

Saleor Checkout Flow

Before writing code

Fetch live docs:

1. Web-search site:docs.saleor.io checkout flow steps for the end-to-end checkout process
2. Web-search site:docs.saleor.io checkout mutations graphql for checkout creation and update mutations
3. Web-search site:docs.saleor.io transaction payment checkout for the transaction-based payment flow
4. Fetch https://docs.saleor.io/docs/developer/checkout and review checkout lifecycle and required fields
5. Web-search site:docs.saleor.io delivery methods shipping checkout for shipping method selection
6. Fetch https://docs.saleor.io/docs/developer/payments and review payment initialization and completion

Checkout Flow Steps

The Saleor checkout follows a sequential flow:

Step	Mutation	Description
1. Create checkout	checkoutCreate	Initialize checkout with channel and lines
2. Add/update lines	checkoutLinesAdd / checkoutLinesUpdate	Manage line items in the cart
3. Set email	checkoutEmailUpdate	Set customer email (for guest checkout)
4. Set shipping address	checkoutShippingAddressUpdate	Required for physical goods
5. Set billing address	checkoutBillingAddressUpdate	Required for payment processing
6. Select delivery method	checkoutDeliveryMethodUpdate	Choose shipping method or warehouse pickup
7. Initialize payment	transactionInitialize	Start payment with payment App
8. Process payment	transactionProcess	Handle additional payment steps (3DS, redirects)
9. Complete checkout	checkoutComplete	Finalize and create the order

Steps 3-6 can be done in any order, but all must be complete before payment initialization. The checkout validates required fields at each step.

Checkout Creation

Create a checkout by specifying the channel and initial line items:

Field	Required	Description
channel	Yes	Channel slug (determines currency, country, available products)
lines	Yes	Array of {variantId, quantity} objects
email	No	Customer email (can be set later)
shippingAddress	No	Shipping address (can be set later)
billingAddress	No	Billing address (can be set later)

Fetch live docs for the complete CheckoutCreateInput schema -- additional fields include languageCode, validationRules, and metadata.

Channel-Aware Checkout

Checkouts are always scoped to a channel:

Aspect	Channel Impact
Currency	Prices displayed in the channel currency
Country	Default country and allowed shipping destinations
Product availability	Only products with channel listings are purchasable
Shipping methods	Only shipping zones covering the channel's countries
Payment gateways	Only payment Apps configured for the channel
Tax calculation	Tax rules based on channel and country

Checkout Line Management

Line Mutations

Operation	Mutation	Notes
Add lines	checkoutLinesAdd	Add new variants to checkout
Update lines	checkoutLinesUpdate	Change quantities of existing lines
Delete lines	checkoutLinesDelete	Remove lines from checkout
Replace all lines	checkoutLinesAdd with forceNewLine: false	Merges with existing lines

Line Fields

Field	Description
variant	The product variant being purchased
quantity	Number of units
totalPrice	Calculated total for the line
unitPrice	Price per unit (includes discounts)
undiscountedTotalPrice	Price before promotions
requiresShipping	Whether this line needs physical delivery

Address Management

Shipping Address

Setting the shipping address triggers recalculation of available delivery methods:

Field	Required	Description
firstName	Yes	Customer first name
lastName	Yes	Customer last name
streetAddress1	Yes	Primary street address
streetAddress2	No	Additional address line
city	Yes	City name
postalCode	Varies	Postal or ZIP code
country	Yes	ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code
countryArea	Varies	State or province
phone	No	Phone number

Billing Address

Required before payment. Can be set independently or copied from shipping address. Uses the same address input schema.

Delivery Method Selection

After setting the shipping address, query available delivery methods:

Method Type	Description
Shipping method	Standard carrier-based shipping (price or weight based)
Warehouse pickup	Click-and-collect from a physical warehouse
Custom shipping App	Dynamic rates from a shipping App via sync webhook

Use checkoutDeliveryMethodUpdate to set the selected method by its ID.

Fetch live docs for the deliveryMethod union type -- it includes both ShippingMethod and Warehouse for pickup.

Payment Initialization (Transaction Flow)

Saleor uses a transaction-based payment model:

Step	Mutation	Description
1. Initialize	transactionInitialize	Sends request to payment App; returns data or action needed
2. Process (if needed)	transactionProcess	Handle additional steps like 3DS authentication
3. Complete	checkoutComplete	Finalize checkout after successful payment

Transaction Initialize Input

Field	Description
id	Checkout ID
paymentGateway	Payment App ID and data (gateway-specific)
amount	Amount to charge (usually checkout total)
idempotencyKey	Unique key to prevent duplicate transactions

Transaction Initialize Response

Field	Description
transaction	Created transaction object
transactionEvent	Initial event (e.g., CHARGE_REQUESTED)
data	Gateway-specific response (e.g., client secret for Stripe)

Checkout Completion

After successful payment, call checkoutComplete:

Outcome	Description
Success	Returns order object; checkout is consumed
Confirmation needed	Returns confirmationNeeded: true with confirmationData
Error	Returns errors array with field and message

Checkout completion is idempotent -- calling it multiple times with the same checkout ID returns the same order.

Error Handling

Common checkout errors and their causes:

Error Code	Cause	Resolution
INSUFFICIENT_STOCK	Variant out of stock	Remove line or reduce quantity
INVALID_SHIPPING_METHOD	Selected method unavailable for address	Re-query available methods
SHIPPING_ADDRESS_NOT_SET	Missing shipping address	Set address before delivery method
BILLING_ADDRESS_NOT_SET	Missing billing address	Set address before payment
VOUCHER_NOT_APPLICABLE	Voucher invalid for this checkout	Remove voucher or adjust checkout
CHECKOUT_NOT_FULLY_PAID	Payment incomplete	Complete payment before checkout

Abandoned Checkout Handling

Strategy	Description
Query stale checkouts	Use checkouts query filtered by lastChange date
Email recovery	Send reminder emails for checkouts with email set
Metadata tracking	Use checkout metadata to store abandonment funnel data
TTL cleanup	Saleor automatically removes expired checkouts (configurable)

Fetch live docs for checkout expiration settings and the checkouts admin query filter syntax.

Best Practices

• Always create checkouts scoped to a specific channel
• Validate stock availability before checkout completion (Saleor checks automatically, but early validation improves UX)
• Use transactionInitialize / transactionProcess for payments (not legacy checkoutPaymentCreate)
• Set both shipping and billing addresses before payment initialization
• Use idempotencyKey on transaction initialization to prevent duplicate charges
• Handle confirmationNeeded responses for payment methods requiring additional authentication
• Query availableShippingMethods and availablePaymentGateways dynamically after address changes
• Store custom data in checkout metadata for analytics and recovery workflows
• Implement error handling for every checkout step -- validate responses before proceeding

Fetch the Saleor checkout and transaction documentation for exact mutation inputs, error codes, and payment flow patterns before implementing.