Live Mode

Live mode is the Stripe environment where you charge real customers and receive real payouts. What you build in test mode runs with real money once you switch to live mode.

Live keys and data

Live mode has its own API keys, which contain _live_, as in sk_live_.... It also has its own customers, subscriptions, and webhook endpoints. Live and test data are fully separate, so a test object can never affect a live payment.

Before you go live

• Activate your Stripe account with your business details and a bank account for payouts.
• Replace every test key with a live key.
• Create your live webhook endpoints. Each one has its own signing secret, different from the test one.
• Check that your handlers process real events correctly.

A common launch bug is a test key left in production, or a live event checked against a test signing secret. Both fail with a clear error, because the modes don't share keys or secrets.

After you're live

ChargeBell connects to your live Stripe account with read-only access. It posts payments, failures, refunds, and disputes to Slack, so your team sees them without opening the Stripe Dashboard.