This article applies to merchants who want to connect their own system to the Chargeback.io Public API. It explains how to get an API key, what rate limit applies to each key, and how to set up webhooks at a high level.
This article doesn't document what the API can do in detail, request schemas, authentication examples, response payloads, or webhook payload formats.
For full endpoint, schema, and payload details, use the API docs.
How to Get Your API Key
To get your Chargeback.io Public API key:
In the sidebar, click Developers.
Find the Internal Key section.
Click the copy-to-clipboard icon.
Send this key in the X-API-KEY header on your API requests.
Regenerate Your API Key
Regenerate your API key from the same dashboard area where your current key appears.
If you need a new API key, click Regenerate API key.
This changes your API key. It doesn't change your API feature access.
⚠️ Regenerating immediately invalidates your old key. Update any system using it.
If you can't regenerate the key yourself, contact Support.
API Rate Limits
API rate limits control how many requests each API key can make.
The rate limit is 100 requests per hour per API key. If a key exceeds that limit, additional requests are blocked until the hour resets.
Setting Up Webhooks
Webhooks are configured through the Public API, not in the dashboard. There is no field in the app to paste a webhook URL.
To receive webhooks, you create a webhook subscription with your API key and a callback URL. Chargeback.io then sends a real-time notification to that URL whenever the event happens.
A few things to know:
Each subscription covers one event type (for example,
alert.createdoralert.updated), so subscribe separately for each event you want.When you create a subscription, you receive a signing secret shown only once. Save it to verify the
X-Webhook-Signatureon incoming webhooks.
For the endpoints, payload format, and signature-verification code, see the API docs.
API Uptime and Service Status
To check live service status or historical uptime, go to the Chargeback.io API status page.
API Key Security
API key security rules apply to every Chargeback.io API key. Treat your key like a password:
Store the key securely.
Do not share the key publicly.
If the key is exposed, regenerate it immediately.
Troubleshooting
You can't find where to add your webhook URL
Webhooks aren't set up in the dashboard.
Fix: Configure webhooks through the Public API by creating a webhook subscription with your API key and callback URL. See the API docs.
Your webhook isn't receiving events in Demo Mode
Real alerts, and the alert.created event, only fire in Live Mode. You can't manually trigger a test alert.
Fix: Move your account to Live Mode by topping up your balance above the Minimum threshold, then a real alert will generate the event.
Your processor reports failed webhook deliveries
Chargeback.io logs every delivery attempt and queues failed deliveries for retry.
Fix: Confirm your endpoint is reachable and returns a success status code. If failures persist, contact support.
💬 Still need help? Contact Chargeback.io support.