fake-stripe-testing

When to Use

• Testing booking/purchase flows in development or staging
• Need to verify data flows from mobile/frontend → backend → database → admin dashboard
• Want realistic-looking transaction data without Stripe API costs or complexity

Architecture

Backend Endpoints (Express + PostgreSQL)

1. POST /api/checkout/class - Accepts: { class_id, customer_id } - Creates: reservations record with payment_status: 'Paid' - Decrements available_spots on the class - Returns: reservation object with fake Stripe ID

2. POST /api/checkout/product - Accepts: { product_id, customer_id } - Creates: orders, line_items, transactions records - If credit package: auto-creates credits record and updates customer totals - Calculates sales tax (e.g., 8.25% TX rate) - Generates fake but realistic transaction data

Fake Data Generator

Generate realistic-looking Stripe-style data:

function generateFakeTransaction(amount, feePercent = 0.029, flatFee = 0.30) {
  const fee = amount * feePercent + flatFee;
  const net = amount - fee;
  const orderId = [random(4), random(4), random(4)].map(s => 
    s.toUpperCase().replace(/\d/g, c => 'ABCDEFGH'[parseInt(c)])
  ).join('-');
  const stripeId = 'ch_fake_' + random(8);

  return {
    order_number: orderId,
    stripe_charge_id: stripeId,
    payment_method: 'Card (Visa •••• 4242)',
    gateway: 'Stripe (Fake)',
    device_type: 'Mobile App',
    fee_amount: fee.toFixed(2),
    net_amount: net.toFixed(2),
    created_at: new Date().toISOString()
  };
}

Frontend Checkout Modal

Key UI components: - Pre-filled test card number: 4242 4242 4242 4242 - Expiry: any future date (e.g., 12/28) - CVC: any 3 digits - Shows breakdown: subtotal, tax, total - Green confirmation on success: "You're booked!" or "Purchase complete!" - Updates UI state immediately (e.g., spots remaining decreases)

Implementation Steps

1. Add backend endpoints in server/index.js: - Route order matters: /customers/search BEFORE /customers/:id - Use transactions for multi-table writes (orders + line_items + transactions)

2. Create CheckoutModal component: - Accepts type ('class' or 'product') and item props - Shows item details, price breakdown, fake card form - Calls appropriate API endpoint on confirm

3. Wire up existing screens: - ClassDetail: "Book This Class" → opens CheckoutModal - ProductDetail: "Purchase" → opens CheckoutModal - Add success state handling (show confirmation, refetch data)

4. Test the full flow: - Profile → Sign In (Demo) → search customer - Schedule/Shop → select item → Book/Purchase → Confirm - Verify DB records created - Check admin dashboard shows new reservation/order

Pitfalls

• Route ordering: Search endpoints must come BEFORE :id param routes
• Timezone handling: DB stores UTC, frontend displays local - be consistent
• Customer lookup: Need working search before checkout (or hardcode test user ID)
• Credit packages: Ensure purchase triggers credit creation + customer total updates

Verification

After booking/purchase:

-- Check reservation
SELECT * FROM reservations WHERE customer_id = 9999 ORDER BY created_at DESC LIMIT 1;

-- Check order + transaction
SELECT * FROM orders WHERE customer_id = 9999 ORDER BY created_at DESC LIMIT 1;
SELECT * FROM transactions WHERE order_id = [last_order_id];

-- Check customer credits updated (if applicable)
SELECT total_remaining_credits, total_spent_all FROM customers WHERE id = 9999;

All records should appear in the admin dashboard under their respective sections.

Session-specific implementation notes absorbed from fake-stripe-payments

• Existing-table pattern that worked well:
• class bookings write reservations with confirmed/paid semantics and decrement class spots
• product purchases write orders, order_line_items, transactions, and optionally customer_credits
• Useful fake production markers:
• charge IDs like ch_fake_<random>
• payment intent IDs like pi_fake_<random>
• order numbers shaped like VAGD-DG2B-5KV7
• gateway label Stripe (Fake) and display payment method Visa ending in 4242
• Mobile/testing UX that matched expectations:
• prefill test card 4242 4242 4242 4242
• calculate tax and Stripe-style fees visibly in the modal
• return success payloads that look realistic enough for downstream admin dashboards and receipts
• Credit-package purchases must update both the credits table and aggregate customer totals, not just create an order row.