> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://wallee.gitbook.io/documentation/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://wallee.gitbook.io/documentation/payments/overview/processors-payment-methods-and-connectors.md).

# Processors, Payment Methods and Connectors

Learn about the differences between processors, payment methods and connectors.

For a payment method to appear on the payment page or to be configured on a physical terminal, three entities have to be configured properly: the **processor**, the **payment method** and the **connector**. It is important to understand what each entity does and how they relate to each other before you start configuring payments.

| Entity             | What it represents                                        | Without it                                             |
| ------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Processor**      | The third party that technically processes the payment.   | No processing route exists.                            |
| **Payment method** | The means by which your customer pays (e.g. Visa, TWINT). | The method cannot be offered or configured.            |
| **Connector**      | The link between one payment method and one processor.    | Nothing executes the payment — no transaction happens. |

### Processor

A processor represents a single integration to a third party which is capable of processing payments. For each processor, a configuration has to be created in order to accept payments through it.

{% hint style="info" %}
Settings such as the payment contract or Merchant ID within the processor are only relevant for e-commerce. The same applies to test mode: it is only applicable in e-commerce — for physical terminals the mode is not relevant.
{% endhint %}

See [Processors](/documentation/payments/overview/processors-payment-methods-and-connectors/processors.md) for how to set one up.

### Payment method

A payment method represents a single means by which a customer can pay (e.g. credit card, TWINT). To accept payments with a particular payment method, a configuration for it has to be created. The configuration also controls specific properties of the payment method.

See [Payment Methods](/documentation/payments/integrations/payment-methods.md) for the methods available in {inject-brand-name}.

### Connector

A connector links a payment method together with a processor — it is a single connection to the processor. Each processor has a fixed set of connectors. The connector is the entity that actually executes the payment, so a connector configuration is required in order to accept payments.

See [Connector Configuration](/documentation/payments/overview/processors-payment-methods-and-connectors/connectors.md) for how to add and configure connectors.

### Multiple configurations

For each of these entities you can have multiple configurations, including multiple configurations of the same type. You can separate them by conditions or link them to a specific space view.

This is what makes routing possible: if several connectors exist for the same payment method, conditions — such as the transaction amount or the customer's country — decide which one is used, and the connector priority determines the order in which they are tried.

{% hint style="info" %}
**In short:** a connector must link a payment method to a processor for transactions to occur. Processor settings such as the payment contract or Merchant ID are crucial in e-commerce, and test mode is relevant for online transactions but not for physical terminals.
{% endhint %}