Idempotency and Reconciliation in Payment Software

Abstract: This paper examines the use of idempotency and reconciliation techniques to enhance the consistency and reliability of high-volume payment processing systems. Idempotency ensures exact processing semantics by preventing duplicate transactions, while reconciliation maintains data consistency across various system components. The paper presents case studies of Visanet and GlobalPayment, two major payment processors, and their implementation of idempotency and reconciliation mechanisms. Visanet employs unique identifiers and transaction logging to achieve idempotency, resulting in a significant reduction in duplicate transactions and increased system reliability. GlobalPayment utilizes automated reconciliation tools and custom software scripts to efficiently reconcile large volumes of transactions from various sources, ensuring data accuracy and consistency. The paper highlights the complementary nature of idempotency and reconciliation in ensuring the reliability, accuracy, and consistency of transaction processing in modern payment systems