Understanding Your Role
Before you build, it helps to understand who you are in the CAPAY model and what
clientId means for you. This one concept determines how almost every endpoint
behaves.
Where you sit
CA operates as a SaaS platform. As a Program Manager you are the administrator of your own Tenant — an isolated environment within the CA system. Each Tenant is independent, and you onboard and manage the Clients that your Tenant serves.
CA has two types of user, each with their own portal:
| Role | Portal | What they do |
|---|---|---|
| Program Manager | Admin Portal | Manage the Tenant, onboard and approve Clients, initiate API operations for Clients |
| Client | Client Portal | Transact directly — payments, balances, beneficiaries — within their own account |
This guide is for Program Managers (Admin Portal users).
What clientId means
Every API operation targets a specific Client within your Tenant. clientId
identifies which Client the operation applies to and is required whenever you
create a transaction (a payment, a beneficiary, and so on).
clientId | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Provided | The operation applies to the Client identified by that clientId |
| Omitted | Not valid for transactions — you must specify a Client |
This differs from the Client model, where clientId is optional and defaults
to the caller's own account. As a PM you are the Tenant administrator, not a
transacting entity yourself — so you always specify which Client the operation
is for.
Your clients
Each entity your Tenant serves is a Client, created and managed through the
/clients endpoints. Business clients carry full KYC/KYB details and must be
approved before they can transact.
See Client Management for creating clients, required fields, and the approval flow.
Client status
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
PENDING APPROVAL | Created, awaiting your approval |
ACTIVE | Approved and ready to transact |
INACTIVE | Not currently usable |
SUSPENDED | Blocked from transacting |
Next steps
- Client Management — create, approve, and maintain the clients you manage.
- Beneficiary Management — how each
beneficiary is bound to a client via
clientId.