Get Me A Chiya

A reason to build

Integrating digital payments involves more than redirecting users to a wallet. Applications need to manage transaction identifiers, payment states, gateway responses, and the relationship between a payment and the user who initiated it. This project explores those challenges through a simple digital tipping concept.

What I worked on

Independently developed a Next.js application to experiment with integrating Nepal's eSewa payment gateway. Explored authenticated user flows, database-backed application state, and the technical requirements of connecting an external wallet service to a web application.

How the pieces fit

1. Built the application using Next.js and JavaScript.
2. Used Clerk for user authentication.
3. Structured database access using MongoDB and Mongoose.
4. Explored eSewa payment initiation and gateway integration.
5. Studied transaction identifiers, payment responses, and verification requirements.
6. Developed a lightweight tipping concept to provide a practical use case for payment integration.

The detail that matters

Chose eSewa as the payment provider to gain hands-on experience with a widely used Nepali digital wallet. Used a simple tipping application to keep the product scope small and concentrate on understanding the payment integration process.

Where it stands

Created a full-stack learning project centered on eSewa wallet integration. The repository documents an early exploration of payment workflows using Next.js, authentication, and database-backed application architecture.

Developed a stronger understanding of third-party API integration and the complexities of payment processing. Learned why payment status must be verified through trusted server-side mechanisms rather than relying solely on client-side redirects or success messages.