Quickstart

This guide will get you up and running with the Aella for Merchants API in minutes. We'll walk you through getting your API key, making your first API request, and show you where to find everything you need to build powerful financial applications.

Before you can make requests to the Aella for Merchants API, you will need to grab your API key from your merchant dashboard. You can find it at https://merchant.aellaapp.com under Settings » API Keys and Webhooks.

Get Your API Key

Log in to your merchant dashboard at https://merchant.aellaapp.com
Navigate to Settings » API Keys and Webhooks
Copy your Secret Key (starts with ae_sk_test_ for sandbox or ae_sk_live_ for live)

The same base URL (https://api.aellaapp.com) is used for both Sandbox and Live environments. The API key you use determines which environment you're accessing.

Making your first API request

Now that you have your API key, let's make your first API call. We'll start by retrieving a list of supported banks for transfers. This is a simple GET request that doesn't require any additional parameters.

GET

/transfers/banks

curl https://api.aellaapp.com/transfers/banks \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer {your_secret_key}"

Create a Virtual Account

Now let's create a dynamic virtual account to receive payments. Virtual accounts are perfect for collecting one-time payments with automatic expiration:

POST

/wallets/virtual/dynamic

curl https://api.aellaapp.com/wallets/virtual/dynamic \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer {your_secret_key}" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "accountName": "Payment for Order #123",
    "amount": 5000,
    "expiryTimeInMinutes": 30
  }'

Read the docs for the Wallets endpoint

What's next?

Congratulations! You've successfully set up your API key and made your first API requests. Here's what you can explore next to build powerful financial applications with Aella:

Wallets - Create and manage digital wallets, sub-accounts, and virtual accounts
Payout - Send money instantly to any bank account in Nigeria
Mandates - Set up recurring direct debit collections for subscriptions
Identity - Verify customer identities using BVN and NIN
SSO - Implement single sign-on for seamless user authentication
Webhooks - Set up real-time event notifications
Errors - Understand error handling and troubleshooting
SDKs - Explore official SDKs for faster integration

For additional support, visit the merchant dashboard or reach out to our support team.