A payment gateway is what is used to handle the transaction between you and the user. For example, if the user wants to pay using a credit card, a payment gateway linking your web site to your bank is used.

Recite CMS comes with several pre-defined gateways, including PayPal IPN (Instant Payment Notification), "offline payment" (meaning no payment is taken when the order is placed), and a "mock" credit card gateway (allows you to test accepting a credit card, but no funds are taken from the card).

Payment gateways are managed using the Payment Gateways Control Panel widget. To create a new gateway, click the New Gateway button. You will then have decide which type of gateway to use.

You can have any number of gateways. For example, you may want to let a user decide which method they want to use to pay. Additionally, you can temporarily disable payment gateways (without having to delete them).

If you only have one gateway available, users will not be prompted to choose.