Current
Architecture knowledge Payment platform
RO

Knowledge architecture review

Payment authorization flow

Model drifted

Validate merchant credentials, available card limits, and fraud signals before returning an approval code or decline reason. The response must remain inside the network latency budget.

Interaction pattern inspired by Cognitive Layers and its open repository.

Layer lensView filter only. The graph stays intact.

Concept

Authorization flow

Reviewed 16 Jul

Purpose and operating rule

The acquirer sends an authorization request to the issuer. The issuer validates account state and available funds, then returns an approval code or a decline reason within the selected latency budget.

Canonical terminology

Acquirer
The financial institution that processes card payments for a merchant.
Issuer
The institution that issued the customer account and authorizes the transaction.
Approval code
The issuer-provided identifier confirming that authorization succeeded.

Connected concepts

AuthorizationrequiresAcquirer AuthorizationrequiresIssuer AuthorizationfeedsSettlement

Authorization latency budget

Card networks time out at 300 ms. A 200 ms application budget reserves 100 ms for transit variance and retries.

Authorization handler mapping

src/auth/handler.tsLines 42–128 · TypeScriptModel drifted
export async function authorize(request) {
  const account = await issuer.lookup(request.pan);
  const result = await risk.evaluate(account, request);
  return network.respond(result, { timeout: 220 });
}
Model mappingsha256:9d4c2a71 Current codesha256:b17e6f09

Revision lineage

  1. v2.0Initial fraud checks
  2. v2.1Latency budget clarified