Plaid guide

Software Setup

To use Plaid with Rutter, you must create a Plaid developer account. The developer account allows you to test Rutter's banking integration for free using Plaid's sandbox environment.

Rutter does not provide Plaid API keys.

Developer Account Setup

Note: By default, your Plaid developer account will be limited to sandbox testing. To access production capabilities and remove usage limits, you will need to contact Plaid's sales team to upgrade to a paid account.

Create a Plaid app

  1. Sign up at Plaid Dashboard with your email.
  2. Once logged in, you'll be taken to your Plaid dashboard.
  3. A set of sandbox API keys will be automatically created. The sandbox environment uses test credentials and returns dummy data.

Retrieve your app's API keys

  1. In the Plaid dashboard, select Developers → Keys from the left navigation bar.
  2. You will see a client_id and secret.

Share your Client Id and Secret with Rutter

  1. Log in to the Rutter Dashboard.
  2. Navigate to Platforms → Banking → Plaid.
  3. Enter your Plaid app's Client ID and Secret in the Plaid configuration page.
  4. Select the appropriate environment. Toggle on Sandbox Mode if you want to test with Plaid's sandbox environment, which will return dummy data. Leave it unset to connect to real financial institutions.

Plaid's sandbox mode is separate from Rutter's sandbox mode. To test Plaid sandbox connections, you must be in Rutter's production mode.

Connect to your Plaid app

  1. Generate a Rutter Link URL. One way to do this is through the Rutter Dashboard.
  2. Navigate to Connections and click on Create New Connection in the top right.
  3. Copy the Shareable URL.
  4. Add ?banking=true to the URL parameters to enable the Smart Banking flow. Note: if you have multiple aggregators configured, bank connections may not go through Plaid. To test only Plaid, append ?platform=plaid to the URL. This will direct you immediately to the Plaid flow.
  5. Click Continue and you will see the list of available banks.
  6. Select your desired bank and follow the authentication flow.
  7. For sandbox testing, you can use Plaid's test credentials.
  8. Upon successful connection, you will be redirected to a completion page.

Production Access

To move beyond sandbox testing and access production capabilities, you'll need to contact Plaid's sales team. You can work with them to:

  • Get production API credentials
  • Remove usage limitations
  • Access additional features

Reference

FAQ

What's the difference between Plaid's sandbox and production environments?

Sandbox uses test credentials and returns dummy data, while production allows connection to real financial institutions. Production access requires a paid account.

Can I use Plaid's sandbox with Rutter's sandbox mode?

No, to test Plaid sandbox connections, you must be in Rutter's production mode. Plaid's sandbox mode is separate from Rutter's sandbox mode. Reach out to your Rutter customer success manager and we can provision a separate Rutter instance for you to use for testing.

How often is banking data updated?

Plaid updates banking data 1-4 times daily, with frequency varying by financial institution. For more frequent updates, Plaid offers an on-demand refresh option for an additional fee. Rutter will send webhooks in real-time to notify you when new transactions are available, at which point you can trigger an on-demand refresh through Rutter's incremental sync to get the latest transactions (note: this will count towards your Plaid API usage).

What happens if a bank connection becomes disconnected?

When a connection becomes unhealthy or requires reauthentication, you'll receive a Rutter CONNECTION_NEEDS_UPDATE or CONNECTION_DISABLED webhook. You can then direct your user to reconnect their account through the Rutter Link flow. For more information, see our Managing Connections guide.

Best Practices

  1. Always start development using Plaid's sandbox environment
  2. Test with various sandbox test credentials
  3. Implement webhook handling for real-time updates
  4. Monitor connection health status
  5. Have a process for handling connection issues and reauthentication

Supported Data

Through Rutter's unified API, you can access the following Plaid data:

  • Bank account details
  • Real-time balances
  • Transaction history

See Rutter's banking API docs for all endpoints available.

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