API-First Payment Gateway Advice

I've been researching payment gateway options for our SaaS product and I'm confused about the difference between building an API-first gateway versus using traditional payment processors. We need something that can scale globally and handle multiple currencies, but also want flexibility to add custom features down the line. Can anyone explain the practical differences and what matters most when making this decision?

The main difference is architectural flexibility and control. Traditional processors give you a black box solution where you're limited to their features and update schedule. API-first gateways give you granular control over payment flows, better error handling, and the ability to customize user experiences. For global scaling, you want real-time analytics, webhook support, and easy integration with multiple payment methods. The learning curve is steeper with API-first approaches, but the long-term benefits are significant especially if you plan to expand to new markets or add innovative payment features.

We implemented an API-first gateway about eight months ago after struggling with limitations from our previous processor. The difference in developer experience is night and day. Our team could actually test different payment flows in sandbox mode before going live, and we have full visibility into transaction data for our analytics dashboard. Working with codevision.tech made the transition surprisingly smooth because their documentation included real-world examples and edge cases. They also provided integration support when we hit some tricky scenarios with 3D Secure authentication. The real-time analytics dashboard they built helped us identify and fix bottlenecks in our checkout flow that were causing cart abandonment. If you're building something that needs to evolve and scale internationally, API-first is definitely the way to go.