Take a leap forward with the new Heartland Developer Portal
Since Heartland was acquired by Global Payments in 2015, we’ve been on a continuous journey of transformation.
One key aspect of this evolution has been improving the Heartland Developer Portal, a crucial hub for developers and Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) integrating with our technology.
With an average of 4,000 monthly visitors, the developer portal serves as a gateway for accessing API keys, troubleshooting guides and essential documentation for integrations — including Google Pay™ and Apple Pay®. It also provides valuable visibility into our products, the Heartland Pay App (our flagship POS solution) and our robust e-commerce platforms, which empower businesses with seamless online payment solutions. However, as we listened to our developer community, it became clear that improvements were needed.
What to expect from these changes
One of the biggest challenges developers faced with the previous portal was discoverability and usability. Many struggled to find the right documentation — and even when they did, the information wasn’t always structured in the most digestible, developer-friendly way.
Additionally, the previous platform had technical limitations that made even minor updates time-consuming and required developer hours for changes that should have been simple. Searchability was another pain point. The portal lacked SEO optimizations, making it difficult to find via search engine.
These issues collectively created friction, preventing developers from efficiently integrating with Heartland’s solutions. To address these challenges, we took a strategic approach:
1. Leveraging proven success
We partnered closely with the Global Payments International Developer Portal team by using their recent platform revamp as a template. Their transformation resulted in a seamless, modernized experience, and we wanted to replicate that success.
2. Adopting a modern tech stack
The new portal is built on GitHub, allowing for more agile updates and streamlined content management. Previously, making small updates required development hours. With GitHub Markdown, updates can be made quickly, efficiently and directly by the teams managing the documentation.
3. Enhancing the developer experience
By implementing SEO optimizations, improved search functionality and better content organization, we’re ensuring developers can quickly find what they need.
Learning from the outcome
No transformation comes without roadblocks, and this migration was no exception. Here are the top lessons learned:
Content cleanup is essential
We found that some of our existing documentation was outdated, unclear or no longer relevant. A major part of this migration involved revamping step-by-step guides and simplifying technical language to improve readability.
Stakeholder alignment is key
Hard conversations were necessary to define what content should be migrated, updated or retired. Ensuring alignment across teams helped us execute efficiently.
What’s Next?
As we enter the final stages of this transformation, we’re focusing on:
Migrating to a single developer portal.
Building essential UI components to align with Global Payments design standards.
Refining and restructuring SDK, plugins and gateway documentation to reduce clutter and improve navigation.
Working with technical writers to ensure all documentation is concise, clear and developer-friendly.
More to come
Once these final touches are complete, developers will have access to a modern, intuitive and highly functional portal. But this transformation isn’t just about a new look — it’s about creating a better, faster and more intuitive developer experience. By modernizing our platform, improving discoverability and enabling faster content updates, we’re making it easier than ever for developers to integrate with Heartland.
We’d love to hear your thoughts. Stay tuned for more updates, and let us know what features or improvements would make your experience even better.
Until then, feel free to dive into the Developer Portal today.
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Heartland is the point of sale, payments and payroll solution of choice for entrepreneurs that need human-centered technology to sell more, keep customers coming back and spend less time in the back office. Nearly 1,000,000 businesses trust us to guide them through market changes and technology challenges, so they can stay competitive and focus on building remarkable businesses instead of managing the daily grind. Learn more at heartland.us