A plugin is a small piece of software that is normally embedded in an application to help it perform some specific functionality. They come about to support user or third-party developments on the available application. Paypal plugins fall in this category. Paypal is an online payment facilitating company, operating internationally.
Paypal plugins are tiny pieces of software that are added on websites so that visitors and buyers (website users) can pay for goods and services they would like to buy from the website. These plugins will literally turn your webpage or blog into some kind of a shopping website. This is done by inserting Paypal buttons on which people can click to pay for products and services on sale on the site or blog. They are easy to ‘plug-in' (download and install) into your website and they make your site fetch money for you, even without your presence.
There are various Paypal plugins that help you to incorporate the buying and selling features on your website. These are Paypal API (Name-Value Pair Interface), Paypal API: SOAP Interface, Website Payments Pro Payflow Edition, Payflow Pro and Website Payments Pro, UK edition. There are also Paypal Supported Plugins and the Website Payments Standard.
The Paypal (Name-Value Pair Interface) works best with Express Checkout, while Paypal API: SOAP Interface is an enhancement that require experience with SOAP web services. Website Payments Standard is a set of toolkits with the software programming code that shows how payment - sending and receiving - that goes on in the background on your website, including acknowledgements for money in and money sent out. Paypal Supported Plugins were those made by Paypal developers and are easily supported by the system. They include Paypal plugin for Quickbooks for sending invoices via Quickbooks, Paypal plugin for Outlook and Outlook Express as well as osCommerce Modules (available in US and UK versions). One version requires the creation of a store account on the osCommerce store by any person buying products and services from a website while the other doesn't.
Paypal has also moved to integrate its plugins in popular internet browsers like Mozilla's Firefox and Microsoft's Internet Explorer. The main focus in this is the Secure Card feature for handling card transactions online.
All these plugins help integrate Paypal, the internationally-preferred online payment method, onto your website. Users can buy securely using their cards without the risk of exposing their private payment details. Paypal plugins are a great advancement in necessitating online payment only that as of now, they're not available in all countries.
