> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.gobtcpay.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.gobtcpay.com/api-reference/pos-api/gobtc-pay-pos-api/payment-lifecycle.md).

# Payment lifecycle

A payment goes from creation to on-chain settlement. The terminal either polls **Get payment** or waits for the webhook until it reaches a terminal status.

```mermaid
sequenceDiagram
  participant T as POS terminal
  participant G as Gateway
  participant C as Customer wallet
  participant B as Bitcoin network
  T->>G: Create payment (amount, currency, ts, signature)
  G-->>T: paymentId, qrString, amountSats, expiresAt
  T->>C: display QR
  C->>G: pay (sign & settle payment)
  G->>B: broadcast transaction
  alt polling
    loop until cleared or expired
      T->>G: Get payment (paymentId, ts, signature)
      G-->>T: status
    end
  else webhook
    B-->>G: on-chain confirmation
    G-->>T: payment.status.updated (status)
  end
```


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