---
title: "Using a web-based POS with a mobile Terminal reader"
description: "Web-based POS systems can reuse ecommerce infrastructure for showroom-floor selling, but mobile readers such as the Stripe M2 and Tap to Pay cannot be accessed directly by a mobile browser. The proposed wrapper app avoids a complete native POS rebuild by embedding the site in a React Native WebView and connecting a mobile or Tap to Pay reader through the Stripe Terminal React Native SDK. A bridge message carries cart information, such as a cart ID and ready-to-pay status, to a ReaderManager that retrieves the amount and calls createPaymentIntent(), collectPaymentMethod(), and confirmPaymentIntent(). Payment results can return to the POS through a backend webhook and WebSocket or frontend polling, while security requires origin-checked messages, nonces, and server-side validation. The approach retains WebView performance, offline, native-access, debugging, and security limitations."
---

# Using a web-based POS with a mobile Terminal reader

[Stripe](https://yomu.fyi/company/stripe) · Benjamin Nuttin · Oct 23, 2025

**Type:** Tutorial

## Summary

Web-based POS systems can reuse ecommerce infrastructure for showroom-floor selling, but mobile readers such as the Stripe M2 and Tap to Pay cannot be accessed directly by a mobile browser. The proposed wrapper app avoids a complete native POS rebuild by embedding the site in a React Native WebView and connecting a mobile or Tap to Pay reader through the Stripe Terminal React Native SDK. A bridge message carries cart information, such as a cart ID and ready-to-pay status, to a ReaderManager that retrieves the amount and calls createPaymentIntent(), collectPaymentMethod(), and confirmPaymentIntent(). Payment results can return to the POS through a backend webhook and WebSocket or frontend polling, while security requires origin-checked messages, nonces, and server-side validation. The approach retains WebView performance, offline, native-access, debugging, and security limitations.

## Context

Retailers want to reuse their ecommerce web stack for in-person selling rather than maintain separate web and native POS applications. Mobile readers such as the M2, WisePad 3, and Tap to Pay require mobile SDK integration because a mobile browser cannot communicate directly with the local reader.

## Approach / What changed

A React Native wrapper loads the web-based POS in a WebView, receives cart state through window.ReactNativeWebView.postMessage, and passes that state to a ReaderManager using the Stripe Terminal React Native SDK. The ReaderManager discovers and connects to a reader, retrieves server-calculated cart details, creates and confirms a PaymentIntent, and supports payment-status notifications back to the POS through webhooks and WebSockets or polling.

## Takeaways

- The wrapper architecture consists of an App component for shared state, a WebView for the POS, and a ReaderManager for reader discovery, connection, and payment processing.
- The payment flow uses a cart ID and ready\_to\_pay status, server-side amount calculation, PaymentIntent metadata, and the SDK methods createPaymentIntent(), collectPaymentMethod(), and confirmPaymentIntent().
- WebView introduces possible performance, offline, native-functionality, debugging, and security limitations; suggested mitigations include HTTPS, CSP, origin-checked and signed messages, one-time nonces, and server-side cart validation.

**Tags:** [Android](https://yomu.fyi/topic/android), [Architecture](https://yomu.fyi/topic/architecture), [iOS](https://yomu.fyi/topic/ios)

- Source: [Stripe](https://stripe.dev/blog/web-pos-mobile-terminal-integration)
- Source URL: https://stripe.dev/blog/web-pos-mobile-terminal-integration
- Ingested by Yomu: 2026-08-28T08:59:59.977Z

[Read original post](https://stripe.dev/blog/web-pos-mobile-terminal-integration)