> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://developer.starpayethiopia.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Introduction

> A comprehensive guide to integrating and operating the Star-Pay Escrow service within your marketplace or platform.

## About the Escrow API

This section documents Star-Pay's Escrow APIs: endpoints for initiating an escrow hold, releasing funds to merchants, and canceling an escrow payment.

The Escrow feature is designed for marketplaces, platforms, or multi-party services that need to hold funds securely until a specific condition or service agreement is met before releasing the payment to the final merchant(s).

For general payment gateway integration and standard transactions, refer to the [API Introduction](./introduction).

## Authentication

Authentication requirements for Escrow endpoints rely on the merchant API secret. You must include your `x-api-secret` header in all requests to securely identify your integration.

Example header (merchant API secret):

```http theme={null}
x-api-secret: 0nYjAt5ZoTkYQucoywwQnkPUAuQbe2gSkHCGOFZvINBIVIUkqrypzVrxzg4U7Leq
```

## API base URLs

* Sandbox: `https://sandbox-api.starpayethiopia.com/v1/starpay-api/`