Understanding Dakota Platform terminology is essential for successful API integration. This glossary defines the key concepts and entities you’ll encounter throughout the documentation and API.

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Core Entities

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Client

Your business - The developer or company integrating with Dakota Platform. This is you, building payment functionality into your application or service.

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Customer

Your end user - A business or individual that you (the client) want to process payments for. Customers must complete KYB/KYC verification before processing transactions. Example: If you’re building an invoicing app, your customers would be the businesses using your app who need to receive crypto payments.

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Recipient

Payment receiver - A person or entity that will receive payments on behalf of a customer. A single customer can have multiple recipients for different use cases. Example: A customer (Acme Corp) might have recipients for “Marketing Department” and “Sales Department” to organize incoming payments.

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Destination

Payment endpoint - The specific account, wallet address, or bank account where funds will be sent for a recipient. Each recipient can have multiple destinations across different networks and assets. Example: A recipient might have a USDC destination on Ethereum (0x123…) and a separate USDC destination on Polygon (0xabc…).

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Account Types & Operations

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Auto Account

Automated recurring account setup - A special account configuration that provides funding details for automated, recurring payment processing. Creating an auto account doesn’t initiate transactions - it sets up the funding infrastructure. Actual transactions occur when funds are received at the provided addresses. Use case: Subscription billing, payroll payments, or scheduled vendor payments.

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One-off Transaction

Single payment setup - Individual transaction configuration that provides funding details for on-demand payments. Creating a one-off transaction doesn’t initiate the payment - it generates the funding instructions. The actual transaction happens when funds are sent to the provided address. Use case: Invoice payments, ad-hoc purchases, or manual transfers.

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Transaction Types

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Onramp

Fiat to crypto conversion - Converting traditional currency (USD, EUR, etc.) into cryptocurrency or stablecoins. Customers use onramps to fund their crypto activities. Flow: USD bank account → USDC wallet

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Offramp

Crypto to fiat conversion - Converting cryptocurrency or stablecoins back into traditional currency. Customers use offramps to cash out their crypto holdings. Flow: USDC wallet → USD bank account

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Swap

Crypto to crypto exchange - Converting one cryptocurrency or stablecoin into another without touching fiat currency. This enables portfolio management and asset optimization. Flow: ETH → USDC, or USDC → USDT

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Compliance & Verification

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KYB (Know Your Business)

Business verification process - Required compliance procedure for business customers. Includes verifying business registration, ownership, financial standing, and regulatory compliance. Typical requirements: Certificate of incorporation, bank statements, director identification, beneficial ownership disclosure.

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KYC (Know Your Customer)

Individual verification process - Required compliance procedure for individual customers. Includes identity verification, address confirmation, and risk assessment. Typical requirements: Government-issued ID, proof of address, source of funds documentation.

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Technical Infrastructure

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Provider

Service integration - Services that Dakota Platform integrates with to provide specific functionality. Each provider specializes in different aspects of payment processing. Could also be Dakota itself.

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Network

Blockchain infrastructure - The underlying blockchain where cryptocurrency transactions are processed.

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Asset

Currency or token - Any form of value that can be transferred through the platform. Includes both fiat currencies and cryptocurrencies. Examples: USD, EUR (fiat); ETH (crypto); USDC, USDT (stablecoins).

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API Integration Concepts

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Idempotency

Safe request retrying - A mechanism ensuring that the same API request can be made multiple times without creating duplicate resources or side effects. Required for all state-changing operations. Implementation: Include a unique X-Idempotency-Key header with each POST request. Use UUIDs for guaranteed uniqueness.

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Webhook

Real-time notifications - HTTP callbacks sent by Dakota Platform to your application when specific events occur. Essential for tracking transaction status and KYB/KYC completion. Examples: Customer KYB approved, transaction completed, payment failed.

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Rate Limiting

Request throttling - Protective measures that limit how many API requests you can make within a specific time period. Prevents system overload and ensures fair resource usage. Typical limits: 100 requests per minute per API key. Exceeded limits return HTTP 429 status.

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Business Workflow Terms

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External ID

Your internal reference - An optional identifier you can assign to Dakota Platform resources (customers, transactions, etc.) to link them with your internal systems. Use case: Link Dakota customer ID with your database’s user ID for easier reconciliation.

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Sandbox vs Production

Development environments - Separate environments for testing (sandbox) and live operations (production). Sandbox uses test data and simulated transactions. Sandbox: Test API integration without real money or compliance requirements Production: Live environment with real transactions and full compliance

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Status States

Resource lifecycle tracking - Standardized status values that indicate where a resource is in its processing lifecycle. Common states: pending, in_progress, completed, failed, requires_info, approved, rejected.

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Advanced Concepts

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Multi-signature (Multisig)

Shared custody control - A security mechanism requiring multiple cryptographic signatures to authorize transactions. Provides enhanced security for high-value operations. Coming soon to Dakota Platform

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Compliance Monitoring

Ongoing risk assessment - Continuous monitoring of transactions and customer activity for suspicious patterns, regulatory compliance, and risk management. Automated by Dakota Platform using integrated compliance providers

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Settlement

Final transaction completion - The process of actually moving funds from source to destination after all verification and processing steps are complete. Timeline varies by transaction type and network: onramps (1-3 days), crypto transfers (minutes to hours).

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Quick Reference

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Next Steps

Now that you understand Dakota Platform terminology:

1. Review API Concepts - Learn about response formats, pagination, and error handling
2. Set Up Your Environment - Configure API keys and choose sandbox vs production
3. Complete Integration Walkthrough - Follow our step-by-step implementation guide

Understanding these terms will make the rest of the documentation much clearer and help you communicate effectively with our support team.