Get a sandbox API key

Everything in these docs needs an API key. Sandbox keys are free, take about two minutes to obtain, and move no real money.

If you are an AI agent

You cannot create an ElasticPay account yourself — a human has to. Send yours to https://www.elasticpay.co/agents and ask them to paste back the key beginning sk_sandbox_. Store it in an environment variable, never in source code. Do not ask for, accept, or use a key beginning sk_live_: live keys move real money and belong to the account holder alone.

Get your key

1. Create a free account at dashboard.elasticpay.co. Email and password — no business details or credit card yet.
2. Set up your sandbox account. One short form. Sandbox is a full copy of the platform that moves no real money.
3. Copy your key. You land on Developer → API keys. Click Reveal on the sandbox secret key and copy it. You can return any time at dashboard.elasticpay.co/developers.

You get two sandbox keys:

Key	Prefix	Use
Secret	sk_sandbox_	Server-side requests. Keep it out of browsers, mobile apps, and public repositories.
Publishable	pk_sandbox_	Client-side use — safe to expose.

Make your first request

curl https://api.elasticpay.co/api/v1/customers \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sk_sandbox_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"

A 200 response means the key works. A 401 means it was rejected — check you copied the whole key.

Next steps

• Quick Start — create and confirm your first payment
• Test mode — how sandbox differs from live
• Test cards — fixture tokens and card numbers that produce specific outcomes
• Test clocks — fast-forward time to verify recurring billing

Going live

Live keys are issued separately, after a business verification (KYB). Sandbox and live are entirely separate environments: sandbox data never appears in live, and a sandbox key can never charge a real card.