Testing your integration in staging mode

Staging is a complete copy of the payment flow that never moves real money.

What staging gives you

• Separate sk_test_ keys and separate data
• Your provider’s test system if you add staging credentials (PhonePe UAT, Paytm staging, Razorpay test keys, Cashfree sandbox)
• Otherwise the built-in simulator, with “Simulate success” and “Simulate failure” buttons
• No transaction charges, no limits

A test plan that catches real bugs

1. Successful payment: webhook arrives, order marked paid once.
2. Failed payment: order stays unpaid, customer can retry.
3. Customer closes the page: webhook still arrives.
4. Same webhook twice: your handler ignores the repeat.
5. Partial refund: your order reflects it.

When all five pass, switch your server to the live key.