Contents
Overview
When getting set up and integrated with Affirm, all merchants will have access to both a Sandbox and Production environment. The credentials to access either merchant portal will be the same. The main difference between them is the data that is returned by the APIs. In Sandbox, test data is returned. In Production, live data is returned. The Sandbox is a testing environment that enables you to develop and test your application, which can give your business a better grasp of the system and more confidence, prior to a live launch.
Depending on your integration method (platform vs. Direct API, VCN, etc), you may utilize the sandbox environment differently. Merchants relying on a Direct API and VCN integration may leverage the sandbox more frequently while integrating because they'll rely on a response from the API Logs for testing and because their production keys aren't enabled until they are done testing and ready to go live.
On the other hand, merchants using a platform integration, (eg: Shopify, Wix, BigCommerce, etc) which are by design meant to be plug-and-play, get access to both environments / merchant portals right away and aren't as likely to use their sandbox since testing is very straightforward and can be done quickly via a UI check through their checkout flow, since these types of integrations require only inputting their API keys and configuring settings within their platform.
Therefore, it's also important to make the distinction that both environments produce a separate set of API keys. Links to access those resources are found below.
URLs
Sandbox (Test)
- You can access the sandbox environment through this URL: https://sandbox.affirm.com/dashboard/signin
- The Sandbox API keys are found here: https://sandbox.affirm.com/dashboard/apikeys
Production (Live)
- You can access the production environment through this URL: https://affirm.com/dashboard/home
- The Production API keys are found here: https://www.affirm.com/dashboard/apikeys
*Important: If you use a Sandbox API key for testing with your Platform Integration or Direct API integration, you have to make sure to swap them with your Production API keys when going live, otherwise your integration won't work!