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

# Card Tokenization

# Card Tokenization

Tokenize credit and debit card data so you store a **token** instead of the card number. Your backend calls `POST /tokenize` with card details and receives a token (and optionally a CVC session ID for CVV) to use with the [proxy](https://docs.ozura.com/guides/vault/proxy/overview.md) or store for later.

## When to tokenize

* **Checkout** — Customer enters card on your site or via Elements; you tokenize and then charge via proxy or OzuraPay API.
* **Saved cards** — Tokenize once, store the token, use it for future payments without handling raw card data again.
* **PCI scope** — Card data hits Vault only; your servers never see PAN or CVV, reducing compliance scope.

## Flow

1. Collect card number, expiry, and optionally CVV (e.g. via [Elements](https://docs.ozura.com/guides/vault/elements/overview.md) or a secure form).
2. Send card data to `POST /tokenize` from your backend (never from the browser with your API key).
3. Store the returned `token` and, if you sent CVV, `cvc_session_id`. Use the token in [proxy](https://docs.ozura.com/guides/vault/proxy/overview.md) requests; use the CVC session only when you need to send CVV (e.g. first charge). CVC sessions expire after 15 minutes.

## Request and response reference

Full request/response fields, validation rules, and error codes: **[API Reference → POST /tokenize](https://docs.ozura.com/api-reference/vault/tokenize.md)**.

## Next steps

* [Detokenize](https://docs.ozura.com/guides/vault/tokenization/detokenize) — When you need to read back card data (use sparingly).
* [Proxy](https://docs.ozura.com/guides/vault/proxy/overview.md) — Send card data to your PSP without detokenizing.
* [Deduplication](https://docs.ozura.com/guides/vault/tokenization/deduplication) — Avoid duplicate tokens for the same card.


This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.