> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://www.cashfree.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Downtimes

> Monitor and respond to payment ecosystem downtimes to maintain optimal conversion rates.

## What are downtimes?

Downtimes are periods when specific payment methods or banking services experience issues that can affect transaction success rates. Downtimes can be:

* **Scheduled downtime**: Planned outages announced by banks or payment processors.
* **Unscheduled downtime**: Unexpected technical issues affecting payment services.

### Why downtimes matter

Payment downtimes directly affect your business:

* **Protect conversion rates**: Proactively manage payment options to maintain successful transactions.
* **Improve customer experience**: Prevent failed transactions and reduce customer frustration.
* **Optimise revenue**: Redirect transactions to working payment methods during outages.
* **Increase operational efficiency**: Reduce support tickets from failed payment attempts.

<Note>
  Businesses that use downtime intelligence can see up to a **5%–15% improvement** in conversion rates during payment ecosystem issues.
</Note>

## Get started

You can stay informed about downtimes in three ways and integrate this information into your payment flow.

### 1. Use the API

Use the Downtimes API to programmatically fetch active incidents and integrate downtime information directly into your checkout.

<Card title="Fetch active downtimes" icon="code" href="/api-reference/payments/latest/utilities/incidents/fetch-all-downtimes">
  Get all active and upcoming downtime incidents across the payment ecosystem.
</Card>

<Card title="Fetch downtime by ID" icon="code" href="/api-reference/payments/latest/utilities/incidents/fetch-downtime-by-id">
  Get details about a specific incident using its unique ID.
</Card>

The API supports filters for impact type, payment method, status, time, and more.

### 2. Use webhooks

Subscribe to real-time downtime notifications to get instant updates when incidents are created, updated, or resolved.

<Card title="Downtime webhook documentation" icon="webhook" href="/api-reference/payments/latest/utilities/incidents/incident-webhook">
  Learn how to set up downtime webhooks for real-time updates.
</Card>

### 3. Use dashboard monitoring

Monitor downtimes directly in your Cashfree Payments dashboard.

Log in to the [**Merchant Dashboard**](https://merchant.cashfree.com/auth/login) and go to **Payment Gateway > Downtimes**.

<Frame caption="Downtimes dashboard overview">
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/cashfreepayments-d00050e9/9NA4YtimCnKLce9q/static/payments/vba/downtimes-dashboard.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=9NA4YtimCnKLce9q&q=85&s=acaee7534723a6b8ac693f02945f72f1" width="1663" height="884" data-path="static/payments/vba/downtimes-dashboard.png" />
</Frame>

The dashboard helps you:

* **Check real-time status**: See all active and upcoming incidents.
* **Assess impact**: Understand severity levels and affected payment methods.
* **Review history**: Track past incidents and their durations.

## Best practices

Follow these strategies based on downtime severity to maintain optimal conversion rates.

### Low and medium impact incidents

**Recommended action**: Use visual cues and offer alternatives.

For incidents with manageable impact:

* **Show visual indicators**: Use subtle cues like reduced opacity or warning icons.
* **Add messages**: Display banners to inform users about possible issues.
* **Reorder methods**: Prioritise unaffected payment methods.
* **Offer alternatives**: Suggest other payment methods as the first choice.
* **Use progressive disclosure**: Show more prominent warnings for medium impact incidents while keeping the method active.

### High impact incidents

**Recommended action**: Temporarily disable affected methods.

For severe issues that strongly affect success rates:

* **Disable temporarily**: Turn off severely impacted payment methods to avoid failed payments.
* **Communicate clearly**: Inform customers about the temporary unavailability.
* **Highlight alternatives**: Show working payment methods first.
* **Guide users**: Direct users to reliable payment methods with clear calls to action.

## Related resources

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Downtimes API reference" icon="code" href="/api-reference/payments/latest/utilities/incidents/fetch-all-downtimes">
    View the complete API documentation with examples.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Downtime webhooks guide" icon="webhook" href="/api-reference/payments/latest/utilities/incidents/incident-webhook">
    Learn how to set up real-time notifications for your system.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

<snippet>snippets/related-topics-loader.mdx</snippet>

<div class="hidden" data-table-of-contents="bottom">
  <p class="mt-4 font-medium flex items-center gap-2 related-docs-heading">
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    <span>Related topics</span>
  </p>

  <ul>
    <li><a href="/docs/api-reference/payments/latest/utilities/incidents/fetch-all-downtimes">Fetch Active Downtimes API</a></li>
    <li><a href="/docs/api-reference/payments/latest/utilities/incidents/fetch-downtime-by-id">Fetch Downtime by ID API</a></li>
    <li><a href="/docs/api-reference/payments/latest/utilities/incidents/incident-webhook">Downtime Webhook</a></li>
  </ul>
</div>