Adding Delayed Routing API Support To Mollie Connect SDK

Delayed routing in the Mollie Connect platform offers a crucial feature for marketplaces, allowing payment distribution instructions to be submitted after a payment has been processed. This provides enhanced control over fund distribution to sellers, triggered by events like shipment confirmation or goods receipt. Currently, the Mollie API Node SDK supports upfront routing but lacks support for delayed routing. This article discusses the problem, background, missing endpoints, the current state of the SDK, and a proposed solution to implement delayed routing.

Problem: Lack of Delayed Routing API Support

Currently, the Mollie API Node SDK does not fully support the Delayed Routing API, which is essential for Mollie Connect marketplaces. The existing SDK capabilities allow for upfront routing, where payment distribution is set up during the payment creation process. However, delayed routing, which involves creating routes after the payment has been processed, is not supported. This limitation restricts the flexibility of marketplaces that require payment distribution based on post-payment events, such as confirming shipment or verifying the receipt of goods. Without delayed routing support, marketplaces are unable to fully leverage the advanced features offered by Mollie Connect, potentially leading to operational inefficiencies and a less streamlined payment process. Delayed routing is a powerful tool for modern marketplaces, guys! It lets you handle payments more flexibly, especially when you need to split funds after a transaction happens. For example, imagine a marketplace where sellers only get paid after a customer confirms they've received the goods. With delayed routing, this is super easy to set up. However, the current Mollie API Node SDK only supports upfront routing. This means you have to decide how the money is split before the payment even goes through, which isn't ideal for every situation. This limitation can be a real headache for marketplaces needing that extra layer of control and flexibility in their payment flows.

Background: Understanding Delayed Routing

Delayed routing is a powerful feature for marketplaces using Mollie Connect, providing the flexibility to distribute funds after a payment is processed. Unlike upfront routing, where payment splits are defined at the time of payment creation, delayed routing allows marketplaces to specify payment distribution instructions at a later stage. This is particularly useful in scenarios where payment distribution depends on events that occur after the initial transaction, such as shipment confirmation or customer verification of goods receipt. By using delayed routing, marketplaces can ensure that funds are distributed to sellers only when certain conditions are met, reducing the risk of disputes and improving overall transaction security. This approach offers a more dynamic and controlled way to manage payments, aligning with the operational workflows of many modern marketplaces. To fully understand the importance of delayed routing, let's dive a bit deeper. Upfront routing, while useful in some cases, can be quite rigid. It requires you to have all the details of the payment distribution sorted out before the payment is even made. But what if things change? What if a customer returns an item, or a seller's commission needs adjustment? That's where delayed routing shines. It gives you the power to adjust the payment flow even after the transaction has occurred. This is a game-changer for marketplaces that want to offer the best possible experience to both buyers and sellers. Delayed routing also opens up possibilities for things like escrow services and staged payments, where funds are held until certain milestones are reached. This adds an extra layer of trust and security to the marketplace ecosystem.

Missing Endpoints: Identifying the Gaps

To implement delayed routing within the Mollie API Node SDK, there are specific endpoints that need to be added. Currently, the SDK lacks support for two crucial endpoints: POST /v2/payments/{paymentId}/routes and GET /v2/payments/{paymentId}/routes. The POST endpoint is essential for creating a delayed route for a specific payment, allowing marketplaces to define how funds should be distributed after the payment has been processed. The GET endpoint, on the other hand, is necessary for listing all payment routes associated with a particular payment, providing visibility into the distribution setup. Without these endpoints, developers cannot programmatically manage delayed routing within their applications using the SDK. Implementing these endpoints is crucial for providing full support for Mollie Connect marketplaces and enabling the flexible payment distribution that delayed routing offers. These missing endpoints are like missing pieces of a puzzle. Without them, you can't fully unlock the power of delayed routing. The POST endpoint is where the magic happens – it's how you actually create the delayed routing instructions. You tell Mollie how the money should be split and to whom. The GET endpoint is equally important because it lets you check the status of your routes. You can see who's getting paid, how much they're getting, and whether everything is set up correctly. Think of it as your control panel for delayed routing. So, without these two endpoints, developers are essentially flying blind. They can't create or manage delayed routes through the SDK, which significantly limits their ability to use this powerful feature.

Current State: Existing SDK Components

Examining the current state of the SDK reveals that some components necessary for delayed routing implementation are already in place. The PaymentData.routing?: PaymentRoutingInfo[] property, defined in src/data/payments/data.ts, indicates existing support for payment routing information. Additionally, the PaymentRoutingInfo interface and RoutingType enum, located in src/data/payments/data.ts, are already defined, providing a foundation for handling routing-related data. However, a dedicated routes binder for delayed routing endpoints is currently missing. This means that while the data structures and interfaces are present, the functionality to interact with the Mollie API for creating and managing delayed routes is not yet implemented. The presence of these existing components suggests that integrating delayed routing may be a more straightforward process, as the groundwork for handling routing information is already established. Even though we're missing the key endpoints, it's not all bad news! The good news is that the SDK already has some building blocks in place. For instance, there's a PaymentData.routing property that can handle payment routing info. Think of it as a placeholder for the routing details. We also have a PaymentRoutingInfo interface and a RoutingType enum, which are like the blueprints for how the routing information should be structured. These existing components are a great head start because they mean we don't have to build everything from scratch. It's like having some of the Lego bricks already sorted and ready to go. However, the crucial piece that's missing is the "routes binder." This is the part of the SDK that would actually talk to the Mollie API and handle the creation and management of delayed routes. It's like the instruction manual that tells the Lego bricks how to fit together. Without it, we can't fully implement delayed routing.

Proposed Solution: Implementing a Routes Binder

The proposed solution to add delayed routing support involves implementing a routes binder as a sub-resource of payments. This approach follows the existing patterns used for captures and refunds within the SDK, providing a consistent and maintainable structure. The routes binder would be responsible for handling the API calls to create and list delayed routes, utilizing the existing PaymentRoutingInfo interface and RoutingType enum. By mirroring the structure used for captures and refunds, the implementation can leverage existing code patterns and minimize the learning curve for developers familiar with the SDK. This solution ensures that the delayed routing functionality is well-integrated into the SDK, providing a seamless experience for developers using Mollie Connect marketplaces. So, how do we actually solve this problem? The best approach is to create something called a "routes binder." Think of it as a special module within the SDK that's specifically designed to handle delayed routing. The cool thing is, we can follow the same pattern that's used for other features like captures and refunds. This means we're not reinventing the wheel and can leverage existing code structures. The routes binder would be responsible for making the actual API calls to Mollie to create and manage delayed routes. It would take the routing information you provide and send it to Mollie in the correct format. It would also handle the responses from Mollie and give you feedback on whether the routes were created successfully. By using this approach, we can ensure that the delayed routing functionality is nicely integrated into the SDK and is easy to use for developers. It's like adding a new tool to your toolbox that fits perfectly with the other tools you already have. This makes the whole process of building marketplace applications much smoother and more efficient. This consistency helps developers quickly understand how to use the new functionality, as it aligns with familiar patterns within the SDK.

In conclusion, adding delayed routing API support to the Mollie Connect SDK is crucial for marketplaces that require flexible payment distribution options. By implementing a routes binder as a sub-resource of payments, the SDK can provide a comprehensive solution for managing delayed routes, enhancing the capabilities of Mollie Connect integrations. This enhancement will empower marketplaces to better control their payment workflows and provide a more seamless experience for both buyers and sellers. Implementing this feature will undoubtedly make the Mollie API Node SDK a more robust and versatile tool for modern marketplace development.