Sandbox (test mode)
Practice mode for payments and APIs: providers such as Razorpay let you run realistic checkouts, webhooks and refunds with no real money moving.
Updated October 2026 · with examples from our own builds
What does sandbox mean in practice?
Payment gateways, app stores and many APIs offer a sandbox: test keys, test cards and fake events that run through the same code paths as live use. A product can also offer its own sandbox to developers who integrate with it.
Risky flows such as checkout, refunds and payouts get tested end to end here before launch, and integrating partners can build against your API without touching live data.
Mind its limits. Test mode can differ subtly from live behaviour, and some steps, such as a real store purchase, can only be proven once accounts are live, so keep a note of which flows have only ever run in test mode.
Sandbox at a glance
- Tests
- Checkout, refunds, payouts and webhooks
- Can't prove
- Some live-only steps, such as real store purchases
- Keep separate
- Sandbox events must never reach live systems
Where has sandbox come up in our builds?
Checkout, refunds, tips, settle-up and payouts were exercised end to end against Razorpay's test mode before launch. Business customers get live and sandbox API keys, and sandbox events never reach a live endpoint.
Payments are built and tested in Razorpay's test mode; until live keys are configured and payments switched on, checkout answers 503 PAYMENTS_COMING_SOON.
Shop checkout still runs on a payment simulator, and a 67-case billing suite runs against a stand-in for Google's API over real HTTP while a real test purchase waits on the Play Console account.
Common questions about sandbox
Is testing in Razorpay's test mode enough before going live?
It covers most of the logic. Once live keys are in place, run one small live transaction and refund, and confirm webhooks arrive from live as they did from test.
Should my own API offer a sandbox?
If businesses will integrate with it, yes. Separate sandbox keys let them build and test without creating real orders, as long as sandbox events can never reach live systems.
Related terms
Planning a product and not sure where sandbox fits? Ask us, or browse all 116 terms in the glossary.