Integrating Bitpay into an online storefront

[ATC777]

The title pretty much explains what I'm about to do... integrate Bitpay into our storefront. 

I've read up on the Bitpay website and I'm poking around the Wiki now to learn a bit more about the topic. But yeah, I'm pretty much a n00b with Linux servers and PhP...

Can anyone give me an overview of how integrating Bitpay into an existing website works, and how I need to go about it? Is it difficult, or pretty easy? And I assume once it's setup I need to do nothing other than run a Satoshi client so Bitpay can sweep funds into my wallet? Any further information/specifics you can give me about how it all works would be greatly appreciated. No detail is too extraneous.

I also have been wondering if it would be possible for me to run a Windows/ASP.NET server that hosts a web app and integrate the app into my Linux server-based site? The reason I ask is because I've been programming very sophisticated software in C# (and C/C++) for many years, and I'm very confident in my ability to write a robust ASP.NET web app -- whereas (at this point) I don't have the same confidence and familiarity with Linux/PhP. Or perhaps it would be more prudent to brush up on Java syntax and go about it that way?

I've just never done anything like this before (very little web dev experience) so looking for guidance before I get my hands dirty...

Thanks,

--ATC--

[schalk]

It's quite simple - almost like any other typical payment system you would integrate.

For the full API documentation go to https://bitpay.com/downloads/bitpayApi.pdf

In a nutshell:

1. You make an API call to bitpay telling it how much you want to charge, what currency to use and your IPN (Instant Payment Notification) url.
2. The API will respond with a URL which you will redirect the customer too.
3. The customer will then make the payment.
4. Bitpay will then call the IPN url you specified in the request letting you know whether the payment was successful or not.

Yes you can integrate a app on a windows server with a linux server. If you are so sharp on your C#, why even use php/linux?

[ATC777]

It's quite simple - almost like any other typical payment system you would integrate.

For the full API documentation go to https://bitpay.com/downloads/bitpayApi.pdf

In a nutshell:

1. You make an API call to bitpay telling it how much you want to charge, what currency to use and your IPN (Instant Payment Notification) url.
2. The API will respond with a URL which you will redirect the customer too.
3. The customer will then make the payment.
4. Bitpay will then call the IPN url you specified in the request letting you know whether the payment was successful or not.

Thanks. So it's almost as easy as integrating a Paypal or Google checkout button into the site, it seems?

Yes you can integrate a app on a windows server with a linux server. If you are so sharp on your C#, why even use php/linux?

Good question. Now perhaps this will sound stupid, but my ultimate vision of this thing is that we will be able to leverage the power of the Bitcoin community and open-source methodology to develop and maintain our site, and I'm planning to hire Bitcoin developers on paid contracts (and pay them in Bitcoin). I made that decision when I realized there were tons of Linux/php devs lurking around here looking for some extra coin. I also felt like I shouldn't let my apprehension about learning new technologies influence my decision.