> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://developer.effilink.co/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Test API Calls Safely with EffiLink Sandbox Mode

> Use EffiLink sandbox mode to validate API requests end-to-end without sending emails, consuming credits, or creating real campaign tasks.

Sandbox mode lets you make real API calls to EffiLink without any side effects. The platform runs your request through its full validation pipeline — checking parameters, verifying the sender, resolving the template, and evaluating recipient data — but stops short of dispatching any email. No message reaches a recipient, no credits are deducted, and no campaign task is created.

This makes sandbox mode the safest way to validate your integration, test new request shapes, and verify that a campaign is correctly configured before it goes live.

***

## How sandbox mode works

When `sandboxMode: true` is present in a request body:

1. EffiLink receives and parses the request normally.
2. All parameter validation runs — required fields, format checks, length limits, sender verification, template resolution, and credit balance checks.
3. If the request **would** succeed in production, EffiLink returns `{"code": 200, "message": ""}`.
4. If the request **would** fail, EffiLink returns the same error code and message you would receive in production.
5. No email is sent, no credits are consumed, and no campaign task is recorded.

Think of it as a dry run: the outcome tells you exactly what would happen if you flipped `sandboxMode` to `false`.

***

## Quick example

The following request sends a transactional email in sandbox mode:

```bash theme={null}
curl -X POST https://api.effilink.co/v5/transactional/mail/sends_customised \
  -H "ApiKey: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "subject": "Welcome to our platform",
    "content": "<p>Hi {{firstName}}, thanks for signing up!</p>",
    "senderMail": "hello@yourdomain.com",
    "senderName": "Your App",
    "to": {
      "email": "test-user@example.com",
      "name": "Test User"
    },
    "params": {
      "firstName": "Test User"
    },
    "trackOpen": 1,
    "trackClick": 1,
    "sandboxMode": true
  }'
```

**Success response** (request is valid — no email sent):

```json theme={null}
{
  "code": 200,
  "message": ""
}
```

**Error response** (request would fail — same error as production):

```json theme={null}
{
  "code": 403,
  "message": "Sender address not registered"
}
```

***

## What sandbox mode validates vs. skips

| Checked in sandbox                                                        | Skipped in sandbox                    |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------- |
| All required parameters are present                                       | Email delivery to recipient           |
| `sendDate` format and range                                               | Credit deduction                      |
| `senderMail` is registered                                                | Campaign task creation                |
| Template exists (if `templateName` used)                                  | Open / click tracking pixel injection |
| Recipient address format                                                  | Webhook event emission                |
| Field length limits (`category`, `campaign`, `uniqueMsgID`, `senderName`) |                                       |
| `replyTo` address format                                                  |                                       |
| Credit balance sufficiency                                                |                                       |
| Attachment structure                                                      |                                       |

<Note>
  Because sandbox mode checks your credit balance, a `403 Insufficient credits` error in sandbox mode means the real send would also fail. Top up your account before switching to production.
</Note>

***

## Which endpoints support sandbox mode

Sandbox mode is supported on endpoints that list `sandboxMode` in their parameter documentation:

* **Transactional email** — `POST /v5/transactional/mail/sends_customised`
* **Campaign email** — `POST /v5/campaign/mail/sends`

When sandbox mode is supported, the parameter appears in the endpoint's parameter list in the API reference. If an endpoint does not list `sandboxMode`, the parameter is silently ignored.

***

## Campaign sandbox example

You can also validate a campaign send without dispatching or creating a task:

```bash theme={null}
curl -X POST https://api.effilink.co/v5/campaign/mail/sends \
  -H "ApiKey: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "mailName": "Summer Sale 2024",
    "senderMail": "promo@yourdomain.com",
    "senderName": "Your Brand",
    "subject": "Our biggest sale of the year",
    "content": "<h1>Summer Sale</h1><p>Up to 60% off — today only.</p>",
    "sendListNames": ["summer-subscribers"],
    "repelListNames": ["unsubscribed"],
    "sandboxMode": true
  }'
```

***

## Best practices

<Tip>
  Always run a sandbox request before your first production send to a new template, sender address, or contact list. This catches configuration errors — like an unregistered sender or a missing template — before they cause a failed send or a poor experience for your recipients.
</Tip>

* **Use sandbox in CI/CD pipelines.** Validate your API integration automatically on every deployment without worrying about accidental sends or credit consumption.
* **Mirror your production payload exactly.** The closer your sandbox request is to your real request, the more meaningful the validation. Swap only the `sandboxMode` flag when you are ready to go live.
* **Check for non-200 responses.** A `200` in sandbox means the request is ready for production. Any other code means there is something to fix first.
* **Do not use sandbox as a substitute for staging.** Sandbox validates the API layer; test your email rendering and content in a real send to a test address before going live.