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These guides provide complete, production-ready examples for integrating Polar’s payment and subscription features into your application.

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Getting Started

Next.js Integration

Complete setup for Next.js applications with server actions

Laravel Integration

Full integration guide for Laravel applications

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Core Features

Checkout Sessions

Create secure checkout flows for products and subscriptions

Subscription Upgrades

Handle subscription plan upgrades with proration

Subscription Downgrades

Manage subscription downgrades and cancellations

Seat-Based Pricing

Implement team subscriptions with seat management

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Prerequisites

Before following these guides, you’ll need:
1

Polar Account

Sign up at polar.sh and create an organization.
2

API Keys

Generate API keys from your Polar dashboard under Settings > API Keys.
3

Products Setup

Create at least one product with pricing in your Polar dashboard.
4

Development Environment

Set up your development environment with your preferred framework.

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API Authentication

All Polar API requests require authentication using your API key: 
curl https://api.polar.sh/v1/products \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer polar_sk_..."
Never expose your API keys in client-side code. Always make API calls from your backend.

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SDK Libraries

Polar provides official SDK libraries for popular languages: 
import { Polar } from '@polar-sh/sdk'

const polar = new Polar({
  accessToken: process.env.POLAR_API_KEY,
})

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Testing

Use Polar’s sandbox environment for testing:
  1. Sandbox API Keys: Use polar_sk_test_... keys for testing
  2. Test Cards: Use Stripe test card numbers (4242 4242 4242 4242)
  3. Webhooks: Use webhook test mode or tools like ngrok for local testing

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Common Patterns

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Error Handling

All guides include comprehensive error handling examples: 
try {
  const checkout = await polar.checkouts.create({
    productPriceId: 'price_123',
  })
} catch (error) {
  if (error.statusCode === 404) {
    // Product not found
  } else if (error.statusCode === 403) {
    // Permission denied
  } else {
    // Other error
  }
}

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Webhooks

Many guides demonstrate webhook handling for async events: 
app.post('/webhooks/polar', async (req, res) => {
  const event = polar.webhooks.verifyEvent(
    req.body,
    req.headers['polar-signature']
  )
  
  switch (event.type) {
    case 'subscription.created':
      // Handle new subscription
      break
    case 'order.succeeded':
      // Handle successful order
      break
  }
  
  res.json({ received: true })
})

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Customer Portal

Building customer-facing portals for subscription management: 
// Authenticate customer
const { token } = await polar.customerSessions.create({
  email: customer.email,
  organizationId: 'org_123',
})

// Customer can now manage their subscriptions
const subscriptions = await polar.customerPortal.subscriptions.list()

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Next Steps

Choose a guide based on your use case:

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