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

# Platform overview

> How the three Caratuva surfaces fit together.

Caratuva exposes three surfaces. Most customers use a combination: the dashboard for operations, the payment link for buyer collection, and the API for ERP integration.

## The dashboard

`dashboard.caratuva.com` is the operating cockpit for your organization. Sellers, finance, and ops use it to:

* Onboard the organization (KYB).
* Create, approve, and cancel invoices.
* Configure the PIX payout destination.
* Issue and revoke API keys.
* Register and inspect outbound webhook subscriptions.
* Watch every payment's timeline as it settles.
* Pull transfer-pricing reports for accounting and tax (via the API today).

Sign-in is by email magic-link — no passwords. Sessions last 12 hours.

See [Dashboard](/dashboard) for a guided tour.

## The payment link

`pay.caratuva.com` is what your buyers see. It is a hosted checkout that takes a buyer from "I owe \$12,500" to "paid" without leaving the page. The buyer:

1. Lands on a page branded with your company name and the invoice details you provided.
2. Signs in by email magic-link — the same email you addressed the invoice to.
3. Completes KYC if they haven't already (mandatory, no skip path).
4. Sees a locked FX quote with the exact amount they'll pay in their currency.
5. Pays by bank transfer (ACH, wire, or SEPA depending on country), following the transfer instructions shown.
6. Lands on your `returnUrl` once payment is collected, or sees a Caratuva confirmation otherwise.

The buyer never installs an app, creates a wallet, or opens a Caratuva account. KYC is reused across invoices and across sellers — a buyer who has already verified pays subsequent invoices in seconds.

See [Payment links](/payment-links) for what the buyer experiences end-to-end.

## The REST API

`api.caratuva.com/v1` is one API surface for everything an integrator needs:

* Issue and revoke API keys.
* Create payment intents (your ERP keeps the source-of-truth invoice).
* Read invoice and payment state.
* Subscribe to lifecycle events as outbound webhooks.

It is REST + OpenAPI 3.x. Resource-creating endpoints accept an `Idempotency-Key` for safe retries. Every webhook is HMAC-SHA256-signed and retried with exponential backoff.

See [API overview](/api-reference/introduction) and the [B2B integration quickstart](/api-reference/b2b-quickstart).

## How they relate

```
+--------------------+        +---------------------+
|  Your ERP / CMS    |        |   Caratuva          |
|                    |  API   |   Dashboard         |
|  - issues invoice  +<------>+   (your team)       |
|  - tracks orders   |        |                     |
+--------+-----------+        +----------+----------+
         |                               |
         | hosted payment link           | invites buyer
         v                               v
              +------------------------+
              |   pay.caratuva.com     |
              |   (your buyer)         |
              +-----------+------------+
                          |
                          v
                    +-----+------+
                    | Settlement |
                    +-----+------+
                          |
                          v
                    BRL via PIX
                    to your account
```

Your team can drive the whole flow from the dashboard. Or your ERP can drive it via the API. Or both — the API and dashboard operate on the same data, so an invoice created via API shows up in the dashboard timeline, and an invoice created in the dashboard fires the same webhook events.

## Modes

Every organization has a **test** mode and a **live** mode. They are isolated: test data never leaks into live, and vice versa. New sessions start in test.

* **Test mode** runs every step of the flow end-to-end — KYC, payment, settlement, webhooks — against a sandbox payment instance. KYB and buyer KYC auto-approve and no real money moves. Use it for development, CI, staging, and demos.
* **Live mode** moves real money and runs against real rails. Going live requires a Caratuva-approved Production Access Request, then live KYB. Use it only in production.

API keys carry the mode in their prefix: `pk_test_*` or `pk_live_*`. Dashboard sessions show a clear mode indicator at all times and switch with a single click. See [Test & live modes](/environments).

## Regions

Funds settle into Brazilian bank accounts via PIX. The platform is hosted in São Paulo for data residency and low-latency PIX integration. Buyer-side collection works globally — wherever your buyer can hold a bank account.