> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://guides.saber.money/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Understanding the Platform

> Introduces Saber Money's base URLs, HMAC authentication, core entities (users, pool accounts), fiat/crypto transactions, operations, integration interfaces, and typical flow.

The Saber Money platform enables businesses to offer fiat ↔ crypto conversion services through APIs, SDKs, and a merchant dashboard. This page covers the key entities, operations, and concepts you need before working with the APIs.

## Base URL

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Sandbox">
    ```text theme={null}
    https://api.sandbox.saber.money
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Production">
    ```text theme={null}
    https://api.saber.money
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

<Note>
  To ensure secure data exchange, merchants should whitelist Saber Money's IP addresses within their systems. This restricts access to trusted sources, helping to prevent unauthorized access.
</Note>

## Authentication

Every API request must be securely authenticated. Saber uses **HMAC signature-based authentication**.

* **API Key (Client ID)** and **API Secret (Client Secret)** are issued to each merchant.
* To make a request, the client generates an **API Signature** by signing the payload with the secret.
* The API Signature, along with the Client ID, is passed in the request headers.
* This ensures requests are validated, secure, and cannot be tampered with.

This mechanism is consistent across all endpoints and must be implemented before accessing any functionality. See [API Authentication](/getting-started/auth) for the exact signature-generation steps.

## Core entities

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="User" icon="user">
    The central entity of the platform — almost every operation, fiat or crypto, requires a user context.

    * **KYC**: must be completed and **approved** before a user can transact.
    * **Bank Account**: a user can link one or more accounts, mandatory for fiat operations (payins and payouts).
    * **Wallets**: each user is automatically assigned blockchain wallets across supported networks, used for deposits, withdrawals, and transfers.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Pool Account" icon="vault">
    A special account type mapped to the merchant's business — the treasury account for internal operations:

    * Liquidity management
    * Handling **Pool Buy** or **Pool Sell** operations
    * Acting as the settlement layer for certain transaction types

    While end-users transact through their personal user accounts, the Pool Account lets merchants interact with the Saber ecosystem at the business level. See [Pool Account Overview](/client/pool-account/overview).
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Transactions

All transactions on Saber are initiated and recorded at the **user level**, falling into two categories:

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Crypto Transactions">
    * **Deposit**: a user deposits crypto into their assigned wallet.
    * **Withdrawal**: a user withdraws crypto from their wallet to an external address.
    * **Internal Transfer**: transfers crypto between two users within the Saber system.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Fiat Transactions">
    * **Payins (Onramp)**: a user deposits fiat via a linked bank account, converted into stablecoins or other supported assets.
    * **Payouts (Offramp)**: a user withdraws fiat to a linked bank account, funded by stablecoins or crypto balances.
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

<Info>
  Each transaction has a defined lifecycle with states (e.g. `initiated`, `pending`, `completed`, `failed`), and developers can monitor these via **webhooks** or API fetch calls.
</Info>

## Operations

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Admin Operations">
    Performed at the **merchant level**, not tied to any single user. Examples:

    * Creating new users
    * Internal transfers between users
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="User Operations">
    Tied to a specific user account. Examples:

    * Submitting and approving KYC
    * Adding bank accounts
    * Initiating transactions (fiat or crypto)
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

<Note>
  Depending on Admin vs. User operation, signature generation varies slightly — see [API Authentication](/getting-started/auth).
</Note>

## Integration interfaces and tools

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="APIs" icon="code">
    The primary integration point for all client and user operations — programmatic control over user creation, transactions, balances, and more.
  </Card>

  <Card title="SDK / Web Widget" icon="window" href="/user/kyc/widget" cta="View guide" arrow="true">
    A hosted user-facing component provided by Saber, used to collect KYC and bank account information without merchants building their own UI. Merchants generate a Widget URL and redirect the user, who completes the process on Saber's secure environment.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Webhooks" icon="webhook" href="/client/dashboard/webhooks" cta="View guide" arrow="true">
    Event notifications sent from Saber to the merchant's server, providing real-time updates on transaction states, KYC status changes, and other events — critical for keeping merchant systems in sync with Saber's backend.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Dashboard" icon="gauge" href="/client/dashboard/overview" cta="View guide" arrow="true">
    A web-based portal for merchants to manage and monitor activity: track transactions and users, generate or rotate API/webhook keys, configure webhook URLs, and perform developer operations like initiating crypto withdrawals or checking balances.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Typical flow

<Steps>
  <Step title="Create User">
    The user is assigned wallets across blockchains.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Complete KYC">
    The user is verified and eligible for financial transactions.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add Bank Account">
    Via API or Web Widget.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Initiate Transaction">
    Crypto or fiat (payin/payout/transfer).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Receive Status Updates">
    Via webhooks or status fetch endpoints.
  </Step>
</Steps>

This sequence underpins most integration scenarios and ensures compliance and traceability across fiat and crypto operations.

## Related pages

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="API Authentication" icon="key" href="/getting-started/auth" cta="View guide" arrow="true" />

  <Card title="Sandbox Functionality" icon="flask" href="/getting-started/sandbox" cta="View guide" arrow="true" />

  <Card title="User Operations Overview" icon="user-check" href="/user/overview" cta="View guide" arrow="true" />

  <Card title="Pool Account Overview" icon="vault" href="/client/pool-account/overview" cta="View guide" arrow="true" />
</CardGroup>


## Related topics

- [API Authentication](/getting-started/auth.md)
- [Product Updates](/changelogs.md)
- [EUR/GBP Openbanking: Best Practices](/onramp/currencies/eur-gbp-best-practices.md)
- [Welcome to Saber Money](/getting-started/welcome.md)
- [Frequently Asked Questions](/faq.md)