Sandbox Environment

Learn about Circle’s sandbox environment for safe development and testing.

Circle’s sandbox environment is a development tool that allows you to safely test prototypes and integration without generating actual financial transactions. Sandbox APIs match those in production, making it easy to move into the production phase.

To ensure success, please note the following:

  • When using the Circle Payments API in sandbox , avoid using real payment method details such as real card numbers. Though your payment method will not be charged on sandbox, we recommend using false details, such as those on our list of test card numbers.

Safe Development

The sandbox environment is perfect for prototyping and integration testing. The APIs on sandbox respond authentically to your requests without connecting to the live Circle backend.

Easy Transitions

The sandbox APIs align perfectly with those in production. Once you’ve perfected your code in the sandbox environment, you can simply replace the sandbox endpoints with the production ones to create working code.

Simulated Transactions

The APIs on sandbox do not actually charge payment methods or manipulate actual money or USDC. The sandbox environment connects safely to USDC using test networks only.

API Environments and Hosts

Use these hosts to access APIs on sandbox and production environments.

EnvironmentAPI host
Sandboxhttps://api-sandbox.circle.com
Productionhttps://api.circle.com

Getting Started

Ready to start writing code in sandbox against the API endpoints? To get started, take a few moments to create a sandbox account.