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FatZebra

Configure multiple FatZebra payment processors​

Where to find it: Admin → Payments → Add Processor → FatZebra

When you'd use this: When you need to route different payment flows to separate FatZebra accounts or configurations—for example, processing standard transactions through one account and subscription payments through another, or separating payment processing by brand or region.

Set it up:

  1. Navigate to Payments in the admin
  2. Click Add Processor
  3. Select FatZebra from the processor list
  4. Configure your first FatZebra processor with the required credentials and settings
  5. To add another FatZebra processor, click Add Processor again and select FatZebra
  6. Configure the second processor with different credentials or settings as needed

Using it day-to-day:

Each FatZebra processor appears as a separate tab in your payment configuration. You can manage, enable, or disable them independently based on your payment routing needs.

Authorize payments with FatZebra​

When you'd use this: When you want to hold funds on a customer's card without immediately capturing them—useful for orders that require fulfillment approval, inventory confirmation, or split shipments.

What you need first: A FatZebra processor configured with a shared secret key and webhook credentials

How it works:

When a payment is submitted for authorization, CommerceBuild verifies the transaction details with FatZebra to ensure data integrity. The platform checks that:

  • The verification hash matches your shared secret
  • The transaction exists in FatZebra's system
  • The authorized amount matches the order amount

CommerceBuild receives payment authorization confirmations through two channels:

  1. Client-side callback — the customer's browser sends the result immediately after checkout
  2. Server-to-server webhook — FatZebra sends the result directly to CommerceBuild as a backup

If the client callback fails or is delayed, the webhook ensures the payment is still processed. This prevents situations where a customer completes checkout successfully but no order appears in your system.

Both channels are verified using your shared secret and webhook credentials to ensure the authorization data hasn't been tampered with. If any verification checks fail, the payment is rejected and marked as failed.

Troubleshooting:

  • Payment authorization fails with "Invalid verification hash" — The transaction data may have been modified or the shared secret in your FatZebra processor configuration doesn't match. Verify your shared secret is correct in Admin → Payments.
  • Payment authorization fails despite successful checkout — The amount in FatZebra's system doesn't match the order amount. This may indicate a timing issue or data mismatch. Check the transaction details in both CommerceBuild and your FatZebra dashboard.
  • Payment shows as authorized in FatZebra but no order appears in CommerceBuild — The webhook credentials may be missing or incorrect. Verify that your FatZebra processor configuration includes valid webhook username and webhook password values in Admin → Payments. Without these, the server-to-server backup channel cannot authenticate incoming webhooks from FatZebra.