Stellar Disbursement Platform Backend

Note: you can find a more thorough and user-friendly documentation of this project at Stellar Docs.

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Install
• Quick Start
• Architecture
  • Core
  • Transaction Submission Service
  • Database
• Wallets
• Contributors
  • State Transitions

Note

If you are using version 1.x.x, we highly recommend upgrading to version 2.x.x to benefit from the latest features, routine fixes, and security patches. For detailed instructions on how to upgrade, please refer to the upgrade guide.

Introduction

The Stellar Disbursement Platform (SDP) enables organizations to disburse bulk payments to recipients using Stellar.

Throughout this documentation, we'll define "users" as members of the organization using the SDP to make payments, while defining "recipients" as those receiving payments.

Install

Install golang and make sure $GOPATH/bin is in your $PATH. Then run the following.

git clone [email protected]:stellar/stellar-disbursement-platform-backend.git
cd stellar-disbursement-platform-backend
make go-install
stellar-disbursement-platform --help

Quick Start

Docker Compose

To quickly test the SDP using preconfigured values, see the Quick Start Guide.

Helm

To deploy the SDP using Helm, see the Helm Chart.

Secure Operation Manual

This manual outlines the security measures implemented in the Stellar Disbursement Platform (SDP) to protect the integrity of the platform and its users. By adhering to these guidelines, you can ensure that your use of the SDP is as secure as possible.

Security is a critical aspect of the SDP. The measures outlined in this document are designed to mitigate risks and enhance the security of the platform. Users are strongly encouraged to follow these guidelines to protect their accounts and operations.

Implementation of reCAPTCHA

Google's reCAPTCHA has been integrated into the SDP to prevent automated attacks and ensure that interactions are performed by humans, not bots.

ReCAPTCHA can be configured at two levels:

1. Environment level (default): Set the DISABLE_RECAPTCHA environment variable to true to disable for all tenants
2. Organization level: Each tenant can override the environment default through the organization settings (via API or UI)

The SDP supports both reCAPTCHA v2 ("I'm not a robot") and reCAPTCHA v3 (invisible, score-based) implementations:

• reCAPTCHA v2: Traditional checkbox-based verification
• reCAPTCHA v3: Invisible verification that returns a score (0.0 to 1.0) indicating the likelihood of human interaction

Configuration

• CAPTCHA_TYPE: Specifies the type of CAPTCHA to use. Options: GOOGLE_RECAPTCHA_V2 (default) or GOOGLE_RECAPTCHA_V3
• RECAPTCHA_SITE_KEY: The Google reCAPTCHA site key
• RECAPTCHA_SITE_SECRET_KEY: The Google reCAPTCHA site secret key
• RECAPTCHA_V3_MIN_SCORE: Minimum score threshold for reCAPTCHA v3 (0.0 to 1.0, default: 0.5). Only used when CAPTCHA_TYPE is GOOGLE_RECAPTCHA_V3
• DISABLE_RECAPTCHA: Set to true to disable reCAPTCHA entirely

ReCAPTCHA is enabled by default and can be disabled in the development environment by setting the DISABLE_RECAPTCHA environment variable to true.

The organization-level setting takes precedence over the environment default when explicitly set. If not set at the organization level, the environment default is used.

Note: Disabling reCAPTCHA is supported for pubnet environments but this might reduce security!

Enforcement of Multi-Factor Authentication

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) provides an additional layer of security to user accounts. It is enforced by default on the SDP and it relies on OTPs sent to the account's email.

MFA can be configured at two levels:

1. Environment level (default): Set the DISABLE_MFA environment variable to true to disable for all tenants
2. Organization level: Each tenant can override the environment default through the organization settings (via API or UI)

The organization-level setting takes precedence over the environment default when explicitly set. If not set at the organization level, the environment default is used.

Note: Disabling MFA is not recommended for production environments due to security risks.

Best Practices for Wallet Management

The SDP wallet should be used primarily as a hot wallet with a limited amount of funds to minimize potential losses.

Hot and Cold Wallets

• A hot wallet is connected to the internet and allows for quick transactions.
• A cold wallet is offline and used for storing funds securely.
• Learn more about these concepts at Investopedia.

Distribution of Disbursement Responsibilities

To enhance security, disbursement responsibilities should be distributed among multiple financial controller users.

Recommended Configuration

1. Approval Flow: Enable the approval flow on the organization page to require two users for the disbursement process. The owner can do that at Profile > Organization > ... > Edit details > Approval flow > Confirm.
2. Financial Controller Role: Create two users with the Financial Controller role on the organization page to enforce separation of duties. The owner can do hat at Settings > Team Members.
3. Owner Account Management: Use the Owner account solely for user management and organization configuration. Avoid using the Owner account for financial controller tasks to minimize the exposure of that account.

Architecture

The SDP Dashboard and Anchor Platform components are separate projects that must be installed and configured alongside the services included in this project.

In a future iteration of this project, the Transaction Submission Service (TSS) will also be moved to its own repository to be used as an independent service. At that point, this project will include the services contained in the Core module shown in the diagram above.

Core

The SDP Core service include several components started using a single command.

stellar-disbursement-platform serve --help

Admin API

The Admin API is the component responsible for managing tenants of the SDP. It runs by default on port 8003 and is used to provision new tenants and manage existing tenants.

Dashboard API

The Dashboard API is the component responsible for enabling clients to interact with the SDP. The primary client is the SDP Dashboard, but other clients can use the API as well.

Metrics

The Dashboard API component is also responsible for exporting system and application metrics. We only have support for Prometheus at the moment, but we can add new monitors clients in the future.

Message Service

The Message Service sends messages to users and recipients for the following reasons:

• Informing recipients they have an incoming disbursement and need to register
• Providing one-time passcodes (OTPs) to recipients
• Sending emails to users during account creation and account recovery flows

Note that the Message Service requires that both SMS and email services are configured. For emails, AWS SES and Twilio Sendgrid are supported. For SMS messages to recipients, Twilio SMS, Twilio WhatsAPP and AWS SNS are supported.

If you're using the AWS_EMAIL or TWILIO_EMAIL sender types, you'll need to verify the email address you're using to send emails in order to prevent it from being flagged by email firewalls. You can do that by following the instructions in this link for AWS SES or this link for Twilio Sendgrid.

Configuring Twilio WhatsApp

Configuring Twilio WhatsApp requires additional steps beyond the standard Twilio SMS setup.

Prerequisites:

1. Set up a Twilio WhatsApp Business Profile and complete the approval process
2. Create message templates in the Twilio Console for each type of message you plan to send
3. Wait for template approval before using them in production

Message Templates Setup:

You must create the following message templates in your Twilio Console and obtain their Template SIDs.

1. Receiver Invitation Template (TWILIO_WHATSAPP_RECEIVER_INVITATION_TEMPLATE_SID)

   • Purpose: Notify recipients about incoming disbursements
   • Variables: {{1}} = Organization Name, {{2}} = Registration Link
   • Example: "You have a payment waiting for you from the {{1}}. Click {{2}} to register."

2. Receiver OTP Template (TWILIO_WHATSAPP_RECEIVER_OTP_TEMPLATE_SID)

   • Purpose: Send one-time passwords to recipients during wallet registration
   • Variables: {{1}} = OTP Code, {{2}} = Organization Name
   • Example: "{{1}} is your {{2}} verification code."

Configuration:

Set the following environment variables:

SMS_SENDER_TYPE=TWILIO_WHATSAPP
TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID=your_twilio_account_sid
TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN=your_twilio_auth_token
TWILIO_WHATSAPP_FROM_NUMBER=whatsapp:+1234567890
TWILIO_WHATSAPP_RECEIVER_INVITATION_TEMPLATE_SID=HXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
TWILIO_WHATSAPP_RECEIVER_OTP_TEMPLATE_SID=HXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Important Notes:

• The TWILIO_WHATSAPP_FROM_NUMBER must include the whatsapp: prefix and use your approved Twilio WhatsApp number
• Template SIDs are obtained from the Twilio Console after template creation and approval
• WhatsApp requires pre-approved message templates for all business-initiated conversations
• Template variables are automatically populated by the SDP based on the message type
• All templates must be approved by WhatsApp before they can be used in production
• For detailed setup instructions, refer to the Twilio WhatsApp API documentation

Wallet Registration UI

The Wallet Registration UI is also hosted by the Core server, and enables recipients to confirm their phone number and other information used to verify their identity. Once recipients have registered through this UI, the Transaction Submission Server (TSS) immediately makes the payment to the recipients registered Stellar account.

Core + Anchor Platform Integration

For a full understanding on how the Core and Anchor Platform components interact, as well as the best security and configuration practices, please refer to the Anchor Platform Integration Points section of the Stellar Docs.

Transaction Submission Service

Refer to documentation here.

Core + TSS Integration

Currently, Core and Transaction Submission Service (TSS) interact at the database layer, sharing the submitter_transactions table to read and write state. The interaction is as follows:

1. Core inserts rows into the submitter_transactions table, queuing payments
2. The TSS polls the submitter_transactions table, detecting payments
3. For each payment detected, the TSS creates and submits a transaction to the Stellar network, monitoring its state until it is confirmed to have been included in a ledger or failed with a nonrecoverable error
4. Core's Dashboard API reads from the submitter_transactions table on demand to fetch the state of each payment

In future iterations of the project, the Transaction Submission Service will provide an API for clients such as the SDP to use for queuing and polling the state of transactions.

Database

To manage the migrations of the database, use the db subcommand.

stellar-disbursement-platform db --help

Admin Tables

Migration CMD

stellar-disbursement-platform db admin migrate up

The tables below are used to manage tenants and their configurations.

Core Tables

Migration CMD

The following command will migrate the tables used by the Core service for all tenants.

stellar-disbursement-platform db auth migrate up --all
stellar-disbursement-platform db sdp migrate up --all

It is also possible to migrate the tables for a specific tenant by using the --tenant-id flag.

stellar-disbursement-platform db auth migrate up --tenant-id=tenant_id
stellar-disbursement-platform db sdp migrate up --tenant-id=tenant_id

The tables below are used to facilitate disbursements.

The tables below are used to manage user roles and organizational information.

TSS Tables

Migration CMD

stellar-disbursement-platform db tss migrate up

The tables below are shared by the transaction submission service and core service.

Note that the submitter_transactions table is used by the TSS and will be managed by the service when moved to its own project.

Background jobs

The SDP uses Background jobs to handle asynchronous tasks.

1. Jobs

Note

Certain jobs are not listed here because they cannot be configured and are necessary to the functioning of the SDP.

• send_receiver_wallets_invitation_job: This job is used to send disbursement invites to recipients. Its interval is configured through the SCHEDULER_RECEIVER_INVITATION_JOB_SECONDS environment variable.
• payment_to_submitter_job: This job is used to submit payments from Core to the TSS. Its interval is configured through the SCHEDULER_PAYMENT_JOB_SECONDS environment variable.
• payment_from_submitter_job: This job is used to notify Core that a payment has been completed. Its interval is configured through the SCHEDULER_PAYMENT_JOB_SECONDS environment variable.
• patch_anchor_platform_transactions_completion: This job is used to patch transactions in Anchor Platform once payments reach the final state 'SUCCESS' or 'FAILED'. Its interval is configured through the SCHEDULER_PAYMENT_JOB_SECONDS environment variable.

2. Configuration

The following environment variables can be used to configure the intervals of the jobs listed above.

  SCHEDULER_RECEIVER_INVITATION_JOB_SECONDS: # interval in seconds
  SCHEDULER_PAYMENT_JOB_SECONDS: # interval in seconds

Note

Prior to version 3.7.0, background jobs were configured using ENABLE_SCHEDULER=true and EVENT_BROKER_TYPE=NONE. This configuration has been deprecated in favor of using EVENT_BROKER_TYPE=SCHEDULER.

Wallets

Please check the Making Your Wallet SDP-Ready section of the Stellar Docs for more information on how to integrate your wallet with the SDP.

Contributors

This section is a work-in-progress.

State Transitions

The state transitions of a disbursement, payment, message, and wallet (i.e. recipient Stellar account) are described below.

Disbursements

stateDiagram-v2
    [*] --> Draft:Started creating the disbursement
    Draft --> [*]:User deleted\nthe draft
    Draft --> Draft:File Ingestion failed\n due to wrong data
    Draft --> Ready:Upload
    Ready --> Started:User Started Disbursement\n in the Dashboard
    Started --> Paused:Paused
    Paused --> Started:Unpaused
    Started --> Completed:All payments\n went through

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Payments

stateDiagram-v2
    [*] --> Draft:Upload a disbursement CSV
    Draft --> [*]:Disbursement deleted
    Draft --> Ready:Disbursement started
    Ready --> Paused:Paused
    Paused --> Ready:Unpaused
    Ready --> Pending:Payment gets submitted\nif user is ready
    Pending --> Success:Payment succeeds
    Pending --> Failed:Payment fails
    Failed --> Pending:Retry

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Recipient Wallets

stateDiagram-v2
    [*] --> Draft:Upload disbursement CSV
    Draft --> [*]:disbursement deleted
    Draft --> Ready: Disbursement started
    Ready --> Registered: receiver signed up
    Ready --> Flagged: flagged
    Flagged --> Ready: unflagged
    Registered --> Flagged: flagged
    Flagged --> Registered: unflagged

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Messages

stateDiagram-v2
    [*] --> Pending: Message is queued
    Pending --> Success:Message sender\nAPI succeeds
    Pending --> Failed:Message sender\nAPI fails
    Failed --> Pending:Retry

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