Testnet vs Mainnet

PayIn provides two separate environments to support your development and production needs: Testnet and Mainnet. Understanding the differences helps you develop safely and deploy confidently.

Overview

Aspect	Testnet	Mainnet
URL	testnet.payin.com	app.payin.com
Purpose	Development & Testing	Production Operations
Tokens	Test tokens (no value)	Real cryptocurrencies
Blockchain	Test networks (Sepolia, Amoy, Shasta)	Main networks (Ethereum, Polygon, Tron)
Cost	Free test tokens from faucets	Real transaction fees
Data	Separate test data	Production data
API Keys	Testnet API keys	Mainnet API keys (separate)

Testnet Environment

What is Testnet?

Testnet is a risk-free sandbox environment where you can:

• Test PayIn integration without financial risk
• Experiment with different payment flows
• Debug and troubleshoot issues
• Train your team on PayIn operations
• Perform load testing

When to Use Testnet

✅ Always use Testnet when:

• First integrating PayIn into your application
• Developing new features that involve payments
• Testing payment flows and edge cases
• Learning how PayIn works
• Training new developers
• Running automated integration tests

Testnet Characteristics

Test Tokens

• Tokens have no real-world value
• Get free tokens from blockchain faucets
• Unlimited testing without cost concerns

Test Blockchains

• Ethereum Sepolia (Ethereum testnet)
• Polygon Amoy (Polygon testnet)
• Tron Shasta (Tron testnet)
• Solana Devnet (Solana testnet)

Faster Confirmations

• Test networks often have faster block times
• Lower confirmation requirements for testing
• May have occasional downtime or resets

Getting Test Tokens

Ethereum Sepolia

Official Faucets:

• Alchemy Sepolia Faucet
• Infura Sepolia Faucet
• Chainlink Faucet

Steps:

1. Visit a faucet website
2. Connect your wallet or enter your address
3. Request test ETH
4. Use test ETH to get test USDT/USDC from testnet DEXs

Polygon Amoy

Official Faucets:

• Polygon Faucet
• Alchemy Polygon Faucet

Steps:

1. Visit the Polygon faucet
2. Select "Amoy Testnet"
3. Enter your wallet address
4. Receive test MATIC tokens

Tron Shasta

Official Faucet:

• TronGrid Shasta Faucet

Steps:

1. Visit TronGrid Shasta faucet
2. Enter your Tron address
3. Complete CAPTCHA
4. Receive test TRX

Solana Devnet

Getting Test SOL:

# Using Solana CLI
solana airdrop 2 <YOUR_ADDRESS> --url devnet

# Or use online faucet
# Visit: https://faucet.solana.com/

Mainnet Environment

What is Mainnet?

Mainnet is the production environment where:

• Real cryptocurrency transactions occur
• Actual funds are transferred
• Production data is stored
• Your business operates live

When to Use Mainnet

✅ Use Mainnet when:

• You've thoroughly tested on testnet
• Ready to accept real payments
• Launching to production
• Processing actual customer transactions

⚠️ Prerequisites before Mainnet:

• Complete integration testing on testnet
• Security review of your implementation
• Proper error handling and monitoring
• Webhook endpoints configured and tested
• Team training completed

Mainnet Characteristics

Real Cryptocurrencies

• USDT, USDC, DAI on real blockchains
• Actual financial value
• Real transaction fees apply
• Irreversible transactions

Main Blockchains

• Ethereum Mainnet
• Polygon Mainnet
• Tron Mainnet
• Solana Mainnet

Production Security

• Requires thorough testing
• Implement proper error handling
• Use monitoring and alerts
• Follow security best practices

Switching Between Environments

For MCP Server

Change the X-PayIn-API-URL header in your MCP configuration:

Testnet:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "payin": {
      "url": "https://mcp.payin.com/sse",
      "transport": "sse",
      "headers": {
        "X-API-Key": "your-testnet-api-key",
        "X-PayIn-API-URL": "https://testnet.payin.com"
      }
    }
  }
}

Mainnet:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "payin": {
      "url": "https://mcp.payin.com/sse",
      "transport": "sse",
      "headers": {
        "X-API-Key": "your-mainnet-api-key",
        "X-PayIn-API-URL": "https://app.payin.com"
      }
    }
  }
}

For Direct API Integration

Change the base URL in your code:

TypeScript Example:

// Testnet
const PAYIN_API_URL = 'https://testnet.payin.com/api/v1';
const API_KEY = process.env.PAYIN_TESTNET_API_KEY;

// Mainnet
const PAYIN_API_URL = 'https://app.payin.com/api/v1';
const API_KEY = process.env.PAYIN_MAINNET_API_KEY;

Best Practices

Development Workflow

1. Start with Testnet

   • Register testnet account
   • Generate testnet API key
   • Develop and test all features
   • Validate webhook handling

2. Thorough Testing

   • Test happy path scenarios
   • Test error scenarios (insufficient funds, expired orders)
   • Test webhook delivery and retries
   • Perform load testing

3. Staging Environment (Optional)

   • Create separate testnet account for staging
   • Mirror production configuration
   • Run final integration tests

4. Move to Mainnet

   • Register mainnet account
   • Generate mainnet API key
   • Update configuration
   • Start with small test transaction
   • Monitor closely

API Key Management

Separate API Keys

Testnet and Mainnet use completely separate API keys. Never use a mainnet API key on testnet or vice versa.

Recommendations:

• Store API keys in environment variables
• Use different keys for development/staging/production
• Rotate API keys regularly
• Never commit API keys to version control

// Good practice
const config = {
  apiUrl: process.env.NODE_ENV === 'production'
    ? 'https://app.payin.com/api/v1'
    : 'https://testnet.payin.com/api/v1',
  apiKey: process.env.NODE_ENV === 'production'
    ? process.env.PAYIN_MAINNET_API_KEY
    : process.env.PAYIN_TESTNET_API_KEY
};

Environment Variables

# .env.development
PAYIN_API_URL=https://testnet.payin.com/api/v1
PAYIN_API_KEY=your-testnet-api-key

# .env.production
PAYIN_API_URL=https://app.payin.com/api/v1
PAYIN_API_KEY=your-mainnet-api-key

Data Isolation

Complete Data Separation

Testnet and Mainnet are completely isolated environments:

• Separate user accounts
• Separate organizations
• Separate API keys
• Separate payment data
• Separate database systems

You cannot transfer:

• Orders from testnet to mainnet
• API keys between environments
• User accounts or organizations
• Any configuration or data

Monitoring and Support

Testnet

• May have occasional downtime
• Best effort support
• Community forums

Mainnet

• High availability (99.9% uptime SLA)
• Priority support
• 24/7 incident monitoring
• Status page: status.payin.com (Coming Soon)

Next Steps

• Supported Networks - See all blockchain networks
• Supported Tokens - View available stablecoins
• API Integration Guide - Direct API integration
• Quick Start with MCP - Get started quickly

FAQs

Q: Can I use the same API key for testnet and mainnet? No, testnet and mainnet have separate API keys. You must generate separate keys for each environment.

Q: Will my testnet orders appear on mainnet? No, testnet and mainnet are completely separate. Data created on testnet stays on testnet.

Q: How do I migrate from testnet to mainnet? You don't migrate data. Instead, you switch your application's configuration to use mainnet URLs and API keys, then create new orders on mainnet.

Q: Are testnet tokens real money? No, testnet tokens have no real-world value. They are only for testing purposes.

Q: Can I skip testnet and go straight to mainnet? While technically possible, we strongly discourage this. Always test thoroughly on testnet to avoid costly mistakes with real funds.