Clover RAID:How to Identify Your Semi-Integration Transactions
Unique identifiers such as your email signature or employee access code help in the process of easy identification and access to specific information. In the case of your semi-integrated app, adding your app’s Remote Application identifier (RAID) has several functions and is recommended as an important configuration step to launch your Clover integration.
What is RAID?
When developing a semi-integration application on the Clover platform, your application is automatically assigned a RAID. The format of a RAID is your {developerId}.{applicationId}. For details, see Create your Remote App ID.
You can think of a RAID as your signature in an email because it uniquely identifies your app. Consider the email address, th3c0olestEmail@example.com; there is no indication who this email belongs to unless you ask. However, if there is a signature in the email footer, then you know this belongs to a person named John Doe.
Traditionally, we use signatures as a personal sign-off or distinctive identifier in documents. We can apply this same idea for your app’s unique identifier.
What is a RAID useful for?
You are probably wondering what a RAID is used for. As a unique identifier for your app, a RAID:
- Helps Clover understand how your app interacts with Clover tools to take payments, refunds, preauthorizations, and so on
- Helps expedite support and enables logging transactions
- Assists in troubleshooting, assuming you establish the RAID in your code logic
- Distinguishes multiple integrations, if available, when logged in to the backend systems
When is RAID configured?
The RAID is used when creating an ICloverConnector. More information on using the connector is available in the topic Using Clover Connector. ICloverConnector is used when connecting to many of our semi-integration Pay Display apps like USB Pay Display and Cloud Pay Display.
Depending on your integration connection type, the RAID can be configured in either the:
- WebSocketCloudCloverDeviceConfigurationBuilder for a network connection, or
- USBCloverDeviceConfiguration for an USB cable connection.
Just as you add a signature to your email before you send it, you need to configure RAID before you initialize the connection to the Clover Connector.
If your integration relies on REST APIs, your RAID is auto-configured and initialized in your OAuth token. You do not have to worry about configuring it explicitly. For more information on OAuth, see Using OAuth 2.0.
Here is a simple demo where my RAID is configured through a USB, allowing my external point of sale (POS) to communicate with Clover using the USB Pay Display App.
Here is the live code, completing a payment. You can see both screens (external POS and Clover device).
Start implementing RAID
Implementing a RAID is a simple way to follow best practices for your app. You should get into the habit of configuring your RAID when coding your integration with Clover. When you have coded your app to include RAID, it is coded once and used forever. Let it be a part of your muscle memory; it’s your app’s signature.
For more information on RAID or semi-integration applications, visit our Clover Docs. If you have any questions or concerns you can always reach out to us at developer-relations@devrel.clover.com, and visit our 24/7 Clover Community.
