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Sandbox and Production Environments

FinHub provides two distinct environments for development and operation: Sandbox and Production. Understanding the differences, limitations, and best practices for each environment is crucial for successful integration.

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Sandbox Environment

The sandbox environment is designed for development, testing, and integration purposes before moving to production.

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Key Characteristics

• Isolated System: Completely separate from production data and systems
• Test Data: Pre-populated with sample data for testing scenarios
• No Financial Impact: Transactions in sandbox don’t involve real money
• Unlimited Testing: Test edge cases and error scenarios without consequences
• Simulated Services: All production services are simulated in sandbox
• Faster Approval: Quick access for development teams

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Important Limitations

The sandbox environment has several important limitations that integrators should be aware of:

• Simplified Regulations: Sandbox doesn’t include all regulatory checks and parametrization present in the production environment
• Limited Verification: Some verification processes are simplified or mocked
• Status Code Importance: Integrators must carefully check all API status codes, as some failures that would occur in production may be bypassed in sandbox
• Feature Restrictions: Some features require additional payment or approval to test, including:
  • SMS notification testing
  • Specific document verification methods
  • Advanced fraud detection
  • High-volume transaction testing
  • Certain payment network integrations

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Best Practices for Sandbox Testing

1. Check All Status Codes: Don’t assume success; verify all API responses thoroughly
2. Test Edge Cases: Deliberately test failure scenarios and error handling
3. Verify Webhooks: Ensure your webhook handling works correctly
4. Document Limitations: Keep track of any sandbox limitations you encounter
5. Request Special Features: If you need access to restricted features, contact your account manager

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Production Environment

The production environment is for live, real-world operations with actual financial transactions and full regulatory compliance.

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Key Characteristics

• Real Financial Transactions: Involves actual monetary transfers
• Regulatory Compliance: Subject to full financial regulations and compliance requirements
• Enhanced Security: Additional security measures and monitoring
• SLA Guarantees: Backed by service level agreements
• 24/7 Support: Full production support available
• Regulatory Reporting: Transactions subject to regulatory reporting requirements

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Important Considerations

When moving to production, be aware of these important considerations:

• Stricter Validation: Production enforces stricter validation rules than sandbox
• Additional Regulatory Checks: More comprehensive regulatory checks are applied
• Performance Differences: Response times may differ from sandbox due to additional security and compliance checks
• Rate Limiting: Production environments may have stricter rate limiting
• Monitoring Requirements: Higher standards for monitoring and alerting
• Compliance Documentation: Additional compliance documentation may be required

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Best Practices for Production

1. Gradual Rollout: Implement a phased approach to production deployment
2. Enhanced Monitoring: Set up comprehensive monitoring and alerting
3. Regular Compliance Checks: Stay updated with regulatory requirements
4. Backup Procedures: Implement proper backup and recovery procedures
5. Security Audits: Conduct regular security audits of your integration

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Transitioning from Sandbox to Production

Moving from sandbox to production involves several important steps to ensure a smooth transition:

1. Integration Completion: Finish all development and testing in the sandbox environment
2. Compliance Review: Submit your integration for a compliance review by the FinHub team
3. Regulatory Assessment: Complete any necessary regulatory requirements based on your client category
4. Security Audit: Pass a security assessment of your integration
5. Production Credentials: Receive production API credentials
6. Gradual Rollout: Implement a phased approach to production deployment
7. Monitoring Period: Initial period of enhanced monitoring and support

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Feature Comparison

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Getting Support

If you encounter any issues or have questions about the differences between sandbox and production environments, please contact our support team:

• Sandbox Support: sandbox-support@finhub.cloud
• Production Support: production-support@finhub.cloud
• Compliance Questions: compliance@finhub.cloud

For urgent production issues, please use the emergency contact information provided with your production credentials.