# Universal Commerce Protocol

Learn how Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) enables agentic commerce across platforms.

The [Universal Commerce Protocol](https://ucp.dev) (UCP) is an open standard that lets different participants in commerce transactions interoperate, with support for checkout, identity linking, order tracking, and secure payment token exchange (Stripe is a member of the UCP Tech Council). Learn more at [ucp.dev](https://ucp.dev).

## Key capabilities

UCP defines composable building blocks for commerce:

- **Checkout**: Create and manage checkout flows including cart management, tax calculation, and payment, with or without human intervention.
- **Identity linking**: OAuth 2.0 based authorization lets platforms act on a buyer’s behalf.
- **Order**: Monitor the status of shipping, delivery, and returns with webhook-based lifecycle updates.
- **Payment token exchange**: Platforms, businesses, and credential providers can securely exchange payment tokens and credentials.

## Stripe payment handlers for UCP

[UCP payment handlers](https://ucp.dev/latest/specification/payment-handler-guide/) define how payment instruments are acquired, exchanged, and processed between all participants in a transaction.

## See also

- [UCP specification and documentation](https://ucp.dev)
- [UCP GitHub repository](https://github.com/Universal-Commerce-Protocol/ucp)
- [UCP samples and reference implementations](https://github.com/Universal-Commerce-Protocol/samples)