# Channels

A payment channel represents a persistent way to collect from a payer into a beneficiary's account.

Where a [collection](/pt-br/products/collections/concepts/collections) is a single payment request that expires, a channel is a standing arrangement. It stays open, and the payer can send funds through it repeatedly without a new link being generated each time. Each payment received through a channel is recorded as its own [transaction](/pt-br/products/collections/concepts/transactions).

Use a channel for an ongoing payer relationship — a recurring supplier, a marketplace seller collecting from the same buyer, a customer topping up a balance.

## How channels relate to other resources

- A channel routes to an [account](/pt-br/products/collections/concepts/accounts) using its `account_id`.
- The [partners](/pt-br/products/collections/concepts/partners) involved are the payer and the beneficiary.
- Each payment through the channel produces a [transaction](/pt-br/products/collections/concepts/transactions).
- Channel lifecycle changes emit `CHANNEL_CREATED` and `CHANNEL_ARCHIVED` [webhook](/pt-br/products/collections/concepts/webhooks) events.


## How a channel closes

You can't close a channel yourself. Ripple closes a partner's channels automatically if the partner fails compliance screening. Each channel's status changes to `CLOSED`, and Ripple sends a `CHANNEL_ARCHIVED` webhook event for each one.

## API operations

- [Create a channel](/products/collections/api/collections/collection-channels/createchannelv1): Generate a new payment channel between a beneficiary and payer.
- [List channels](/products/collections/api/collections/collection-channels/listchannelsv1): Retrieve a list of all channels, which can be filtered by `id`, `payer_id`, or `beneficiary_id`.
- [Get channel details](/products/collections/api/collections/collection-channels/getchannelbyidv1): View the full details and current status of a single channel.