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Sandbox Environment

Before going live with your Biteship integration, you should thoroughly test your implementation in our sandbox environment. This guide explains how to use the sandbox effectively.

About the Sandbox​

The sandbox environment is a safe testing space that mimics our production environment. It allows you to:

  • Test API integrations without creating real shipments
  • Validate your implementation logic
  • Simulate various shipping scenarios
  • Test error handling

Getting Started​

  1. Sign up for a Biteship account at our registration page
  2. Navigate to the API section in your dashboard
  3. Activate the sandbox environment by clicking the "Mode Testing" toggle in the sidebar
  4. Generate a sandbox API key
  5. Use this key for all your test API calls

Sandbox vs Production​

Key differences between sandbox and production environments for Core API:

FeatureSandboxProduction
Maps APIReal data, not counted against monthly quotaCounted against Maps quota (overage after cap)
Rates APIReal data, not counted against monthly quotaCounted against Rates quota (overage after cap)
Order APISimulatedReal shipments, counted against Orders quota
Tracking APIReal data, not counted against monthly quotaCounted against Tracking quota (overage after cap)

Sandbox (testing mode) keys skip monthly subscription quotas. Production (live) keys consume your plan limits. See Plans & limits.

Testing Guidelines​

  1. Test All API Endpoints

    • Rate calculations
    • Order creation
    • Tracking
    • Label generation

  2. Simulate Edge Cases

    • Invalid addresses
    • Out-of-range weights
    • Missing required fields
    • Error responses

  3. Verify Integration Logic

    • Rate display
    • Order flow
    • Error handling
    • User notifications

Moving to Production​

Once you've completed thorough testing:

  1. Ensure all test cases pass
  2. Document any issues found and resolved
  3. Review integration best practices
  4. Follow the API Activation process

Best Practices​

  • Keep sandbox API keys separate from production
  • Test with realistic data scenarios
  • Implement proper error handling
  • Monitor API response times
  • Document all test cases and results

Support​

Need help with sandbox testing? Contact our support team: