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Overview

Strapi is a leading open-source headless CMS for structuring content and building flexible APIs. The @creem_io/strapi plugin brings Creem’s billing capabilities directly into your Strapi 5 admin panel, so you can create products, configure checkout, and receive verified webhooks without leaving your CMS. Creem acts as the legal seller of record. VAT, GST, and sales tax across 190+ countries are calculated, collected, and remitted for you, making this pairing especially useful when your Strapi project is the operational hub for a product you sell globally.
How to install and configure the Creem plugin for Strapi 5, manage products from the Strapi admin, wire up a front-end checkout through Strapi’s content API, and receive verified Creem webhook events.

Requirements

  • A Creem account with at least one API key
  • A Strapi 5 project (or create one during this guide)
  • Node.js v22 or later

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Create a Strapi project

Open your terminal and scaffold a new Strapi project with their CLI: 
npx create-strapi@latest my-strapi-app
When prompted, configure the CLI options (such as database setup) according to your preferences. Once that is done, move into the project directory and start the app in development mode by executing the following command: 
cd my-strapi-app
npm run develop
The Strapi admin panel will be available at http://localhost:1337/admin. Complete the initial registration so you can sign in after installing the plugin.

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Install the Strapi plugin

To install the plugin, run the following command: 
npm i @creem_io/strapi
Then, restart Strapi instance after installation: 
npm run develop
After restarting, you should see the Creem plugin appear in the left sidebar.
Strapi admin home with Creem plugin in the sidebar

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Configure environment variables

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API Keys

Get at least one API key from the Creem dashboard under Developers. Test and production keys are separate; test keys are typically prefixed with creem_test_.
VariableWhen you need it
STRAPI_CREEM_TEST_API_KEYTest Mode (https://test-api.creem.io/v1)
STRAPI_CREEM_API_KEYProduction (https://api.creem.io/v1)

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Webhook Secret (optional)

VariablePurpose
STRAPI_CREEM_WEBHOOK_SECRETSigning secret from Developers → Webhook so Strapi can verify the creem-signature header
Once obtained, add these variables to your Strapi project’s .env: 
# API Keys
STRAPI_CREEM_TEST_API_KEY="creem_test_..."
STRAPI_CREEM_API_KEY="creem_..."

# Webhook Secret
STRAPI_CREEM_WEBHOOK_SECRET="..."
Restart your Strapi project for changes to take effect: 
npm run develop

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Access the plugin

Open the admin panel again and then open Strapi 5 Plugin for Creem in the left sidebar.
Creem plugin products page, empty initial state
When you first open the Creem panel, it fetches and displays all products from the Creem API. You can then manage these products directly within your Strapi instance.

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Manage products

Click + New Product to open the create form.
Create product modal in the Strapi Creem plugin
Supported options include:
  • One-time and subscription products (including free products with price 0)
  • Billing interval for subscriptions (daily, monthly, every 3 months, every 6 months, yearly)
  • Currency selection (USD or EUR)
  • The list view excludes archived products
Edit and archive open the Creem dashboard directly. The Creem API does not support those operations through this plugin yet.

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Front-end checkout

The Strapi plugin exposes a checkout route through Strapi’s Content API. 
POST /api/@creem_io/strapi/checkout
Checkout integration modal with embed snippet and JavaScript
Your front end talks to Strapi, not directly to Creem, so API keys never reach the browser. The server creates a Creem checkout session and returns { "url": "..." } for redirect. Example request body: 
{
  "productId": "prod_abc123",
  "customer_email": "customer@example.com",
  "success_url": "https://your-site.com/success",
  "metadata": {
    "order_id": "ORDER_123"
  }
}
The plugin also generates a ready-to-use embed snippet per product. Copy it from the product’s embed dialog and drop it into your site with no extra dependencies.

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Configure environment and webhook forwarding

To configure the environment and webhook forwarding settings in Strapi, open the Strapi admin sidebar and click on Settings.
Settings entry in the Strapi admin sidebar
Click on Configuration within the Creem section to open the configuration panel for the plugin.
Creem Configuration under Settings in the Strapi admin
On this page, you’ll be able to set the environment, default checkout success URL, and webhook forwarding options.
Creem plugin Configuration page
SettingDescription
EnvironmentChoose Test mode or Production. Only environments with a matching .env key are selectable.
Checkout success URLDefault redirect after checkout. Per-request success_url is used when this is empty. Must be HTTPS in production.
Webhook forward URLAfter HMAC-SHA256 verification, the plugin POSTs the parsed event JSON to this URL. Useful for provisioning access, updating user records, or triggering email automation.

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Register the webhook in Creem

  1. In the Creem dashboard, go to Developers → Webhook.
  2. Add your public HTTPS endpoint: Production / staging: 
    https://your-deployed-strapi-instance.com/api/@creem_io/strapi/webhook
    Local development (Creem cannot reach localhost directly, so expose your local Strapi with a tunnel first): 
    ngrok http 1337
    Then use the tunnel URL: 
    https://abcd.ngrok.io/api/@creem_io/strapi/webhook
  3. Copy the signing secret and set STRAPI_CREEM_WEBHOOK_SECRET in your Strapi .env.
  4. Restart Strapi.
The plugin responds with HTTP 200 on successful verification. If a Webhook Forward URL is configured, the verified payload is forwarded there automatically.
Forwarded Creem webhook event received at a webhook forward URL
See the Creem webhooks guide for all supported events (checkout.completed, subscription.active, subscription.paid, subscription.canceled, refund.created, and more).

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Resources

@creem_io/strapi on npm

Install the plugin and view release history.

Creem webhooks guide

Signature verification, event types, and payload examples.

Strapi Content API

Strapi’s REST content API reference.

Creem quickstart

Get your first API key and create a test product.