> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.spherepay.co/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Implementation Guides

> Post-discovery routing for SpherePay integrations — choose the implementation path, pattern, and docs to use after your funds flow is scoped.

Use Implementation Guides **after discovery**, when Sphere and your team already understand the intended funds flow, parties, rails, and operational model. These pages turn that conversation into a **scoped build path** for your integrator — not a product overview.

<Note>
  New to SpherePay? Start with [How it works](/get-started/how-it-works) and [Concepts](/concepts/overview). Know your business outcome but not your flow type? Read this page first, then [Solutions](/solutions/overview).
</Note>

## How to use this section

<Steps>
  <Step title="Confirm scoping inputs">
    Work through [Before you pick a guide](#before-you-pick-a-guide) with your SpherePay representative — parties, rails, volume, and transfer model.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Route to a guide and pattern">
    Use [Route by discovery outcome](#route-by-discovery-outcome) to pick [First-Party](/implementation-guides/first-party-flows) or [Third-Party Flows](/implementation-guides/third-party-flows) and the pattern inside that guide.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Validate before engineering">
    Complete the guide's scoping output, kickoff list, and blocker checks before writing integration code.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Go deeper where needed">
    Follow links into [Concepts](/concepts/overview), [Solutions](/solutions/overview), and [API Reference](/api-reference/customer/post) for object definitions, business examples, and payloads.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## What these guides are for

| Section                                       | Use it to…                                                                           |
| --------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Implementation Guides** (this section)      | Route to a build path, validate scoping, and know what to send Sphere before kickoff |
| [Concepts](/concepts/overview)                | Learn what each object means — customers, transfers, automation, rails               |
| [Solutions](/solutions/overview)              | See how primitives combine for a business outcome — treasury, payroll, trading       |
| [API Reference](/api-reference/customer/post) | Implement request/response details for a specific endpoint                           |

## Before you pick a guide

Confirm these inputs with your SpherePay representative during or immediately after discovery:

* **Who owns the funds** at each step
* **Customer of record** — who SpherePay must onboard and verify
* **Sender** and **beneficiary** — may differ from the customer of record
* **Platform role** — whether your platform is in the flow of funds
* **Downstream users** — businesses, consumers, or both
* **Fiat currency and rail** — see [Supported rails](/concepts/transfers/supported-rails)
* **Stablecoin and network** — see [Supported assets](/concepts/reference/supported-assets)
* **Transfer model** — one-off API transfers vs reusable deposit/cash-out instructions
* **Balance model** — movement/conversion only vs fiat balance holding
* **Volume** — expected monthly volume, average and maximum transaction size

## Route by discovery outcome

| After discovery, you know…                                              | Start here                                                    | Pattern                                                                                                                   |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| The same legal entity owns both the source and destination              | [First-Party Flows](/implementation-guides/first-party-flows) | —                                                                                                                         |
| Each on-ramp/off-ramp is initiated explicitly via API                   | [First-Party Flows](/implementation-guides/first-party-flows) | [One-off transfer](/implementation-guides/first-party-flows#pattern-one-off-transfer)                                     |
| Reusable fiat deposit instructions into the customer's own wallet       | [First-Party Flows](/implementation-guides/first-party-flows) | [Onramper Account](/implementation-guides/first-party-flows#pattern-onramper-account)                                     |
| Reusable stablecoin-to-fiat cash-out to the customer's own bank account | [First-Party Flows](/implementation-guides/first-party-flows) | [Offloader Wallet](/implementation-guides/first-party-flows#pattern-offloader-wallet)                                     |
| A business pays a supplier, vendor, contractor, or other third party    | [Third-Party Flows](/implementation-guides/third-party-flows) | [Business pays supplier](/implementation-guides/third-party-flows#pattern-business-pays-supplier)                         |
| A platform enables its business customers to move funds                 | [Third-Party Flows](/implementation-guides/third-party-flows) | [Platform serves business customers](/implementation-guides/third-party-flows#pattern-platform-serves-business-customers) |
| A bank or fintech embeds ramps for many end users                       | [Third-Party Flows](/implementation-guides/third-party-flows) | [Bank or fintech serves consumers](/implementation-guides/third-party-flows#pattern-bank-or-fintech-serves-consumers)     |

## Pick a guide

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="First-Party Flows" icon="landmark" href="/implementation-guides/first-party-flows">
    Same legal entity owns source and destination — one-off transfers, Onramper Accounts, and Offloader Wallets.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Third-Party Flows" icon="users" href="/implementation-guides/third-party-flows">
    Different parties or platform-mediated flows — supplier payouts, platform B2B, and consumer embed paths.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## First-party or third-party?

If the routing table above does not match cleanly, use this fork:

| Flow type       | Route when                                                                                               | Example                                      |
| --------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------- |
| **First-party** | The same legal entity owns the source and destination                                                    | Company bank account → same company's wallet |
| **Third-party** | Sender, beneficiary, or customer of record are different entities, or a platform serves downstream users | Company wallet → supplier bank account       |

<Tip>
  Still unsure? Ask: **Does the same legal entity own both the source and destination?** If yes → first-party. If no → third-party.
</Tip>

## Map to Solutions

Implementation Guides define **how to build**. Solutions define **what business outcome** you are shipping. Use both:

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Treasury management" icon="landmark" href="/solutions/treasury-management">
    First-party treasury on-ramp/off-ramp — pair with [First-Party Flows](/implementation-guides/first-party-flows).
  </Card>

  <Card title="Payment acceptance" icon="hand-coins" href="/solutions/payment-acceptance">
    Platform fiat acceptance — often [Third-Party Flows](/implementation-guides/third-party-flows) or Onramper pattern.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Payroll" icon="banknote" href="/solutions/payroll">
    Third-party disbursements — pair with [Third-Party Flows](/implementation-guides/third-party-flows).
  </Card>

  <Card title="Cross-border trade finance" icon="ship" href="/solutions/cross-border-trade-finance">
    Supplier and invoice settlement — pair with [Third-Party Flows](/implementation-guides/third-party-flows).
  </Card>
</CardGroup>