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Release v1.18

· 4 min read
Eugenio
Staff Engineer

Overview​

BoatyBall v1.18.0 introduces a major upgrade to the payment processing system with full support for 3D Secure (3DS) authentication. This release focuses on improving transaction security, increasing payment success rates for modern card issuers, and aligning the platform with updated banking compliance requirements for strong customer authentication (SCA).

The update strengthens trust in the payment flow while ensuring a smoother checkout experience for users whose banks require additional verification steps.

New Features​

3D Secure (3DS) Payment Support​

The core feature of this release is the implementation of support for credit and debit cards using active 3D Secure authentication.

Key capabilities include:

  • Full support for 3D Secure 1 and 3D Secure 2 authentication flows (where supported by issuing banks).
  • Seamless redirection to issuer authentication pages when required.
  • Automatic handling of frictionless authentication flows when risk is low.
  • Improved compatibility with modern card issuers enforcing Strong Customer Authentication (SCA).

Enhanced Payment Flow Handling​

The payment system has been updated to better manage multi-step authentication scenarios:

  • Persistent payment session state during authentication redirects.
  • Improved recovery handling if authentication is interrupted or canceled.
  • Clear status tracking for payment states:
    • Pending authentication
    • Authentication required
    • Payment authorized
    • Payment failed
    • Payment completed

Improved Transaction Reliability​

Backend payment services have been enhanced to:

  • Reduce failed payment transactions caused by timeout during authentication.
  • Improve synchronization between payment gateway callbacks and internal booking confirmation.
  • Ensure consistent reservation state after payment completion.

Security Improvements​

Strong Customer Authentication Compliance​

This release ensures compliance with modern banking requirements:

  • Enforced support for SCA where required by issuing banks.
  • Secure handling of authentication tokens during redirect flows.
  • Improved validation of payment callback signatures.

Fraud and Risk Handling Enhancements​

  • Better detection of incomplete authentication attempts.
  • Reduced risk of unauthorized reservation confirmations.
  • Improved validation of payment completion before mooring allocation finalization.

User Experience Improvements​

Smarter Checkout Flow​

  • Reduced confusion during payment authentication steps.
  • Clearer messaging when users are redirected for bank verification.
  • Improved return flow after authentication completion.

Failure Handling Improvements​

  • Users are now properly informed when:

    • Authentication is declined by the bank
    • The authentication session expires
    • The payment requires retry

  • No more ambiguous or stuck payment states in the UI.

Backend Improvements​

Payment Gateway Integration Updates​

  • Updated handling of 3DS callback responses.
  • Improved idempotency for repeated payment confirmation requests.
  • Enhanced logging for payment lifecycle tracing.

Reservation State Integrity​

  • Reservations are only confirmed after successful payment authorization.
  • Prevents edge cases where reservations could be held without valid payment confirmation.
  • Improved synchronization between payment and reservation services.

Fixed Issues​

Payment Flow Stability​

  • Resolved edge cases where users could remain stuck in a pending payment state after authentication.
  • Fixed inconsistencies where payment success was not properly reflected in reservation status.
  • Improved handling of interrupted 3DS authentication flows.

Session and Redirect Handling​

  • Fixed issues where returning from bank authentication could result in lost session state.
  • Improved reliability of redirect URLs across different browsers and devices.

Quality Assurance​

All payment flow changes have been validated through:

  • UAT testing across supported browsers and devices
  • Simulated 3D Secure authentication scenarios
  • Production-like load testing for payment confirmation flows
  • Regression testing of reservation creation and confirmation workflows

Summary​

BoatyBall v1.18.0 significantly strengthens the platform’s payment infrastructure by introducing full 3D Secure support. This update improves compliance with modern banking standards, enhances transaction security, and provides a more reliable and predictable checkout experience for users worldwide.

!title: Release v1.18.0 - 3D Secure Payments Enhancement !tags: payments, 3d-secure, security, backend, checkout, reservations, compliance !release_date: 2026-05-13 !description: Introduces full 3D Secure (3DS) payment support for credit and debit cards, improves authentication handling, strengthens payment reliability, and enhances compliance with modern Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) requirements.