Test Mode

Stripe test mode is an environment for building and checking an integration without real money. It has the same features as live mode but uses separate data, separate keys, and test card numbers. You can create charges, trigger events, and try edge cases.

What's separate

Test mode and live mode share nothing. Test mode has its own:

• API keys, which start with sk_test_ and pk_test_.
• Objects. Products, prices, customers, and subscriptions in test mode don't exist in live mode, and the reverse.
• Webhook endpoints and signing secrets.

A test object can never be part of a live payment. You switch modes with the toggle in the Stripe Dashboard.

Test cards

Stripe provides card numbers that simulate specific outcomes: a successful charge, a decline, a card that needs authentication, or a card that later gets disputed. They can't move money. Use them to test every path in your code before launch.

Keep tests out of live mode

Test cards only work in test mode. Stripe's Services Agreement forbids running test transactions in live mode, and doing it with real cards can trigger an account review. Build and test in test mode, then switch to live. Once you're live, ChargeBell can post your real Stripe payment events to Slack.