New M-Pesa REST APIs

[IanWambai]

Update Chowder to use the new Safaricom M-Pesa REST APIs. I'll try finish this by the end of the year, but it's not 100% certain. You can find more documentation here.

Here are benefits of the REST API:

• It's uses REST and not SOAP. Android doesn't natively support SOAP, and switching to REST, means you don't need to use Chowder anymore if you're comfortable making basic API requests, which is super easy.

• More APIs. I'm not sure, but I'll probably be able to add a few more features into Chowder. This includes B2B and B2C APIs, which should be really cool. I should also be able to add account balance checking, transaction reversals, Lipa na M-Pesa online payments (via STK push), and queries.

[IanWambai]

Update: Using the REST APIs is still complicated as fuck. There's definitely a need for a library to use them. The documentation isn't perfect either, I'm compiling a list of issues I'll send to Safaricom, but good thing is we can do more with the APIs than I previously thought.

[ghost]

Hey, How can my android app use the MPESA C2B services now that the new APIs don't need chowder? the process, methods...etc

[IanWambai]

Right now you'll just have to use their REST APIs, but they've also made it such that you'll need your own server to process callbacks.

[Jkabs]

Thanks @IanWambai

[mugash4]

Hi IanWambai, great work. I'm an intermediate android dev, and some time back I was trying to implement mpesa system into my App, with these files from Makara a developer as well. But I wasn't able to implement them due to their nature and my level of coding understanding. So, i got stuck. Anyway, may be you can take a look at the files then expound to me a bit more what you think of them.
In the meantime, I think I'm going to make use of your implementation. since I think it's what I have been looking for. Thank you once again. Here is my email mugash4@gmail.com in case you want to get in touch.

[IanWambai]

Hi @mugash4. Thanks for reaching out. I wouldn't recommend using Chowder right now in the first place. It's pretty old code now and Safaricom has new APIs. I've been too lazy/busy to update it but I probably will over the next few months. If your objective is to process M-Pesa payments I recommend this. They have a great STK push API.

[mugash4]

Thanks, @IanWambai for your feedback. I'm looking for really simple implementation like yours. coz I'm still learning and there's a lot I don't know regarding such payment implementation. I hope you understand where I'm coming from.
Hey did you check the files I send you in my earlier post? what do you think of them? Thank you

[IanWambai]

@mugash4 well if you're looking for something simple, I think the link I sent you is a pretty easy way to add M-Pesa to your project. It looks like the code you're working with still uses SOAP/Chowder, which I wouldn't recommend. If you know how to make API calls on Android, which you can easily learn, then you should be good to go. All you'll need is an iPay account.

[mugash4]

@IanWambai Thanks for the honest response. I will try and if it gets hard I will have to wait for your update

[habeebrahmanpt]

Hey, How can my android app use the MPESA C2B services using new RestApi the process, methods...
https://sandbox.safaricom.co.ke/mpesa/c2b/v1/simulate

https://sandbox.safaricom.co.ke/mpesa/c2b/v1/registerurl
and what is use of callback url ?