Sandbox Testing

Overview

The Grid sandbox environment allows you to test your rewards integration without moving real money or cryptocurrency. All API endpoints work the same way in sandbox as they do in production, but transactions are simulated and you can control test scenarios using special test values.

Getting Started with Sandbox

Sandbox Credentials

To use the sandbox environment:

Go to app.lightspark.com, create an account, and generate your sandbox API keys from the dashboard.
Add your sandbox API token and secret to your environment variables.
Use the normal production base URL: https://api.lightspark.com/grid/2025-10-13
Authenticate using your sandbox token with HTTP Basic Auth

Simulating Money Movements

Funding Platform Internal Accounts

In production, your platform’s internal account is funded by following the payment instructions (bank transfer, wire, etc.). In sandbox, you can instantly add funds to your platform’s internal account using the following endpoint:

POST /sandbox/internal-accounts/{accountId}/fund

{
  "amount": 200000  # $2,000 in cents
}

Example:

curl -X POST https://api.lightspark.com/grid/2025-10-13/sandbox/internal-accounts/InternalAccount:e85dcbd6-dced-4ec4-b756-3c3a9ea3d965/fund \
  -u "sandbox_token_id:sandbox_token_secret" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "amount": 200000
  }'

This endpoint returns the updated InternalAccount object with the new balance. You’ll also receive an ACCOUNT_STATUS webhook showing the balance change.

In production, ACH transfers typically take 1-3 business days to settle. In sandbox, funding is instant.

Testing Reward Distributions

Testing Successful Bitcoin Rewards

The standard reward flow works seamlessly in sandbox. First create the destination external account, then create and execute a quote to instantly convert USD to BTC:

# Step 1: Create the destination external account
curl -X POST "https://api.lightspark.com/grid/2025-10-13/customers/external-accounts" \
  -u "sandbox_token_id:sandbox_token_secret" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "customerId": "Customer:019542f5-b3e7-1d02-0000-000000000001",
    "currency": "BTC",
    "accountInfo": {
      "accountType": "SPARK_WALLET",
      "address": "spark1pgssyuuuhnrrdjswal5c3s3rafw9w3y5dd4cjy3duxlf7hjzkp0rqx6dj6mrhu"
    }
  }'

# Step 2: Create and execute the quote
curl -X POST "https://api.lightspark.com/grid/2025-10-13/quotes" \
  -u "sandbox_token_id:sandbox_token_secret" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "source": {
      "accountId": "InternalAccount:e85dcbd6-dced-4ec4-b756-3c3a9ea3d965"
    },
    "destination": {
      "destinationType": "ACCOUNT",
      "accountId": "ExternalAccount:b23dcbd6-dced-4ec4-b756-3c3a9ea3d456"
    },
    "lockedCurrencySide": "SENDING",
    "lockedCurrencyAmount": 100,
    "immediatelyExecute": true,
    "description": "Bitcoin reward payout!"
  }'

In sandbox:

The USD is instantly debited from your platform’s internal account
Bitcoin is “purchased” at a simulated exchange rate
The Bitcoin is delivered to the Spark wallet address. In sandbox, BTC funds are regtest funds so that they’re compatible with real regtest spark wallets.
You receive an OUTGOING_PAYMENT webhook notification

In sandbox, Bitcoin transfers complete instantly on regtest. In production, Spark wallet transfers typically complete within seconds.

Testing Wallet Address Failures

Use special Spark wallet address patterns to test different failure scenarios. The last 3 digits of the wallet address determine the test behavior:

Last Digits	Behavior	Use Case
003	Wallet unavailable	Recipient wallet is offline or unreachable
005	Timeout/delayed failure	Transaction stays pending ~30s, then fails
Any other	Success	All transfers complete normally

Example - Testing Wallet Unavailable:

# Create an external account with a test address ending in 003
curl -X POST "https://api.lightspark.com/grid/2025-10-13/customers/external-accounts" \
  -u "sandbox_token_id:sandbox_token_secret" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "customerId": "Customer:019542f5-b3e7-1d02-0000-000000000001",
    "currency": "BTC",
    "accountInfo": {
      "accountType": "SPARK_WALLET",
      "address": "spark1pgssyuuuhnrrdjswal5c3s3rafw9w3y5dd4cjy3duxlf7hjzkp0rqx6dj6m003"
    }
  }'

# Then use it in a quote
curl -X POST "https://api.lightspark.com/grid/2025-10-13/quotes" \
  -u "sandbox_token_id:sandbox_token_secret" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "source": {
      "accountId": "InternalAccount:e85dcbd6-dced-4ec4-b756-3c3a9ea3d965"
    },
    "destination": {
      "destinationType": "ACCOUNT",
      "accountId": "ExternalAccount:..."
    },
    "lockedCurrencySide": "SENDING",
    "lockedCurrencyAmount": 100,
    "immediatelyExecute": true
  }'

The quote execution will fail immediately with a wallet unavailable error. Note that these failure test patterns work for any external account type. If you want to test other cases of funding from a broken fiat account, you can create an external account with the appropriate test pattern and use that for the quote source for funding. There are also two other failure test patterns relevant for bank accounts:

002: Insufficient funds (transfer-in will fail)
004: Transfer rejected (bank rejects the transfer)

Testing Customer Onboarding

Sandbox KYB Flow

In sandbox, the KYB onboarding process is simplified to always use the /customers endpoint instead of the KYB link flow.

curl -X POST "https://api.lightspark.com/grid/2025-10-13/customers" \
  -u "sandbox_token_id:sandbox_token_secret" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "platformCustomerId": "user_12345",
    "customerType": "INDIVIDUAL",
    "fullName": "Jane Doe",
    "birthDate": "1992-03-25",
    "nationality": "US"
  }'

In sandbox, customers are automatically approved. In production, KYB verification may take several minutes.

Testing Insufficient Balance

To test insufficient balance scenarios, simply attempt to send more than your platform’s internal account balance:

# Assuming account balance is $2,000 (200000 cents)
curl -X POST "https://api.lightspark.com/grid/2025-10-13/quotes" \
  -u "sandbox_token_id:sandbox_token_secret" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "source": {
      "accountId": "InternalAccount:e85dcbd6-dced-4ec4-b756-3c3a9ea3d965"
    },
    "destination": {
      "destinationType": "ACCOUNT",
      "accountId": "ExternalAccount:b23dcbd6-dced-4ec4-b756-3c3a9ea3d456"
    },
    "lockedCurrencySide": "SENDING",
    "lockedCurrencyAmount": 300000,
    "immediatelyExecute": true
  }'

The quote execution will fail with an insufficient balance error.

Testing Webhooks

All webhook events fire normally in sandbox. To test your webhook endpoint:

Configure your webhook URL in the dashboard
Perform actions that trigger webhooks (funding accounts, executing quotes, etc.)
Receive webhook events at your endpoint
Verify signature using the sandbox public key

You can also manually trigger a test webhook:

curl -X POST "https://api.lightspark.com/grid/2025-10-13/webhooks/test" \
  -u "sandbox_token_id:sandbox_token_secret" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "url": "https://your-app.com/webhooks"
  }'

Common Testing Workflows

Complete Reward Distribution Test

Here’s a complete test workflow for distributing a $1.00 Bitcoin reward:

Fund your platform’s internal account:

POST /sandbox/internal-accounts/InternalAccount:platform-usd/fund
{ "amount": 100000 }  # $1,000

Create a test customer:
POST /customers

Execute a reward quote:

POST /quotes
# Platform USD account → Customer's Spark wallet
# With immediatelyExecute: true

Verify completion via webhook (OUTGOING_PAYMENT event)

Check transaction history:

GET /transactions?customerId=Customer:019542f5-b3e7-1d02-0000-000000000001

Testing Error Scenarios

Test each failure mode systematically. First create external accounts with test address patterns, then use them in quotes:

# 1. Test wallet unavailable (address ending in 003)
# Create external account with test address
curl -X POST "https://api.lightspark.com/grid/2025-10-13/customers/external-accounts" \
  -u "sandbox_token_id:sandbox_token_secret" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "customerId": "Customer:test001",
    "currency": "BTC",
    "accountInfo": {
      "accountType": "SPARK_WALLET",
      "address": "spark1pgssyuuuhnrrdjswal5c3s3rafw9w3y5dd4cjy3duxlf7hjzkp0rqx6dj6m003"
    }
  }'
# Use the returned ExternalAccount ID in the quote
curl -X POST "https://api.lightspark.com/grid/2025-10-13/quotes" \
  -u "sandbox_token_id:sandbox_token_secret" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "source": {"sourceType": "ACCOUNT", "accountId": "InternalAccount:platform-usd"},
    "destination": {"destinationType": "ACCOUNT", "accountId": "ExternalAccount:..."},
    "lockedCurrencySide": "SENDING",
    "lockedCurrencyAmount": 100,
    "immediatelyExecute": true
  }'
# Response: Transaction fails with wallet unavailable error

# 2. Test insufficient balance (use any valid external account)
curl -X POST "https://api.lightspark.com/grid/2025-10-13/quotes" \
  -u "sandbox_token_id:sandbox_token_secret" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "source": {"sourceType": "ACCOUNT", "accountId": "InternalAccount:platform-usd"},
    "destination": {"destinationType": "ACCOUNT", "accountId": "ExternalAccount:..."},
    "lockedCurrencySide": "SENDING",
    "lockedCurrencyAmount": 10000000,
    "immediatelyExecute": true
  }'
# Response: 400 Bad Request with insufficient balance error

# 3. Test timeout scenario (address ending in 005)
# Create external account with test address
curl -X POST "https://api.lightspark.com/grid/2025-10-13/customers/external-accounts" \
  -u "sandbox_token_id:sandbox_token_secret" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "customerId": "Customer:test001",
    "currency": "BTC",
    "accountInfo": {
      "accountType": "SPARK_WALLET",
      "address": "spark1pgssyuuuhnrrdjswal5c3s3rafw9w3y5dd4cjy3duxlf7hjzkp0rqx6dj6m005"
    }
  }'
# Use the returned ExternalAccount ID in the quote
curl -X POST "https://api.lightspark.com/grid/2025-10-13/quotes" \
  -u "sandbox_token_id:sandbox_token_secret" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "source": {"sourceType": "ACCOUNT", "accountId": "InternalAccount:platform-usd"},
    "destination": {"destinationType": "ACCOUNT", "accountId": "ExternalAccount:..."},
    "lockedCurrencySide": "SENDING",
    "lockedCurrencyAmount": 100,
    "immediatelyExecute": true
  }'
# Check status immediately - will show PENDING
# Wait 30s, check again - will show FAILED

Sandbox Limitations

While sandbox closely mimics production, there are some differences:

Instant settlement: All Bitcoin transfers complete instantly (success cases) or fail immediately (error cases), except timeout scenarios (005)
Uses Regtest funds: Spark bitcoin funds are regtest funds so that they’re compatible with real regtest spark wallets.
Simplified KYB: KYB processes are simulated and complete instantly with automatic approval
Fixed exchange rates: Currency conversion rates may not reflect real-time market rates

Do not try sending money to any sandbox wallet addresses or bank accounts. These are not real addresses and will not receive funds.

Moving to Production

When you’re ready to move to production:

Generate production API tokens in the dashboard
Swap those credentials for the sandbox credentials in your environment variables
Remove any sandbox-specific test patterns from your code (magic number wallet addresses)
Configure production webhook endpoints
Test with small reward amounts first ( $0.01-$ 1.00)
Gradually increase volume as you gain confidence

Next Steps

Review Webhooks for event handling
Check out the Postman Collection for API examples
See Platform Configuration for production settings

Overview

Onboarding

Managing Accounts

Distributing Rewards

Platform Tools

Overview

Getting Started with Sandbox

Sandbox Credentials

Simulating Money Movements

Funding Platform Internal Accounts

Testing Reward Distributions

Testing Successful Bitcoin Rewards

Testing Wallet Address Failures

Testing Customer Onboarding

Sandbox KYB Flow

Testing Insufficient Balance

Testing Webhooks

Common Testing Workflows

Complete Reward Distribution Test

Testing Error Scenarios

Sandbox Limitations

Moving to Production

Next Steps

​Overview

​Getting Started with Sandbox

​Sandbox Credentials

​Simulating Money Movements

​Funding Platform Internal Accounts

​Testing Reward Distributions

​Testing Successful Bitcoin Rewards

​Testing Wallet Address Failures

​Testing Customer Onboarding

​Sandbox KYB Flow

​Testing Insufficient Balance

​Testing Webhooks

​Common Testing Workflows

​Complete Reward Distribution Test

​Testing Error Scenarios

​Sandbox Limitations

​Moving to Production

​Next Steps

Overview

Getting Started with Sandbox

Sandbox Credentials

Simulating Money Movements

Funding Platform Internal Accounts

Testing Reward Distributions

Testing Successful Bitcoin Rewards

Testing Wallet Address Failures

Testing Customer Onboarding

Sandbox KYB Flow

Testing Insufficient Balance

Testing Webhooks

Common Testing Workflows

Complete Reward Distribution Test

Testing Error Scenarios

Sandbox Limitations

Moving to Production

Next Steps