PayPal payment initiation returning 404 despite correct Django URL mapping and React frontend

Backend
1

Hey folks, I’m stuck with a weird issue on my React and Django site hosted on Render. When I try to start a PayPal payment, I’m getting a 404 error. I’ve double-checked everything:

  • Django URL mapping looks good
  • No syntax errors in React
  • Sending the right data to the backend
  • Forward slash is there
  • Using PayPal Sandbox mode
  • Client ID and Secret are in Render’s environment variables
  • No CORS issues
  • Frontend URL is in allowed origins
  • REACT_BASE_URL is correct in settings.py and views.py

I’m pretty sure the 404 happens right when I hit the ‘Pay with PayPal’ button. It’s like something’s blocking the request.

Here’s a simplified version of my backend code:

@api_view(['POST'])
def start_payment(request):
    if request.method == 'POST' and request.user.is_authenticated:
        cart_id = request.data.get('cart_id')
        if not cart_id:
            return Response({'error': 'No cart ID'}, status=400)
        
        try:
            cart = Cart.objects.get(cart_id=cart_id)
        except Cart.DoesNotExist:
            return Response({'error': 'Cart not found'}, status=404)
        
        # Calculate total with tax
        total = calculate_total(cart)
        
        # Set up PayPal payment
        payment = set_up_paypal_payment(total, cart)
        
        if payment.create():
            return Response({'paymentUrl': get_approval_url(payment)}, status=201)
        
        return Response({'error': payment.error}, status=400)

Any ideas what could be causing this? I’m totally stumped!

2

yo, have u checked if the paypal API endpoint is correct? sometimes those sandbox URLs can be tricky. also, maybe try hitting the endpoint directly w/ postman or smth to see if its the frontend or backend thats causing issues. good luck man, 404s are a pain!

3

hmm, that’s a tricky one! have you tried checking your server logs? sometimes 404s can be caused by unexpected routing issues. also, maybe double-check if theres any middleware interfering? oh, and are you using any custom authentication that might be messing with the request? just brainstorming here - what do you think?

4

I’ve encountered similar issues before, and one often overlooked aspect is the URL configuration in your Django project’s main urls.py file. Ensure that the app containing your payment views is properly included. Additionally, verify that your React app is sending the request to the correct endpoint. Sometimes, the issue lies in how the frontend constructs the API URL. Have you tried logging the exact URL being hit on the server-side? This can help pinpoint where the 404 is occurring. Lastly, check if your Render deployment is using the latest code version, as sometimes caching can cause outdated routes to persist.