Sandbox & Demo Mode
Explore LostChurn with sample data before connecting your payment processor
Sandbox mode lets you explore LostChurn's full feature set using pre-loaded sample data. No payment processor connection required, no real payments affected.
What Is Sandbox Mode?
Sandbox mode creates a fully functional demo environment pre-populated with realistic data. You can explore the dashboard, review analytics, inspect recovery campaigns, and test API integrations — all without connecting a live payment processor.
Everything in sandbox mode is isolated. No real webhooks are sent, no actual payments are retried, and no customer emails are delivered.
How to Activate
During Onboarding
When you first sign up, the onboarding welcome page offers two paths:
- Connect a payment processor — go live immediately
- Try Demo — enter sandbox mode with sample data
Click Try Demo to activate sandbox mode.
From an Existing Account
If you've already set up your account, you can enter sandbox mode at any time:
- Navigate to Settings > Account
- Click Enter Sandbox Mode
- Confirm in the dialog
Entering sandbox mode does not affect your live data. Your production configuration, API keys, and recovery campaigns remain unchanged.
What's Included
Sandbox mode comes pre-loaded with the following sample data:
| Data Type | Quantity | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Demo merchant | 1 | "Acme SaaS Co." with full settings configured |
| Customers | 20+ | Mix of active, churned, and recovering subscribers |
| Payment events | 50+ | Spanning 30 days of simulated activity |
| Decline codes | 12 | Variety of codes including insufficient_funds, expired_card, do_not_honor |
| Recovery campaigns | 3 | One for each template (Gentle, Balanced, Aggressive) |
| Email templates | 6 | Pre-built recovery email sequences |
| Analytics data | 30 days | Simulated recovery metrics with realistic trends |
Sandbox Banner
While in sandbox mode, a persistent banner appears at the top of the dashboard:
🔶 You're in Sandbox Mode — data shown is simulated. Exit Demo →This banner is visible on every page to prevent confusion between sandbox and live data. Click Exit Demo to return to your live environment.
Using Sandbox to Test Integrations
Sandbox mode is ideal for testing your API integration before going live. Sandbox-specific API keys use the lc_test_ prefix:
curl -X GET https://app.lostchurn.com/api/v1/payments \
-H "Authorization: Bearer lc_test_sk_sandbox123"You can use sandbox mode to:
- Test API calls — all endpoints work with sandbox data
- Build webhook handlers — simulate webhook deliveries from Settings > Webhooks > Send Test Event
- Preview recovery emails — view rendered email templates with sample customer data
- Validate campaign logic — walk through the full recovery funnel with demo payments
Sandbox API keys (lc_test_*) only access sandbox data. Live API keys (lc_live_*) only access production data. They are not interchangeable.
Simulating Events
You can manually trigger events in sandbox mode to test specific scenarios:
- Go to Sandbox > Simulate Events in the dashboard
- Choose an event type:
- Payment failed — generates a new failed payment with a configurable decline code
- Payment succeeded — marks a failed payment as recovered
- Customer updated — simulates a card update
- Click Trigger to fire the event
These simulated events flow through the same pipeline as real events — they trigger campaigns, update analytics, and fire webhooks to any configured endpoints.
Limitations
Sandbox mode has a few limitations compared to the live environment:
- No real webhook events — events from Stripe, Braintree, and other processors are not received
- No actual payment retries — retry attempts are simulated, not executed against a real PSP
- No email/SMS delivery — recovery messages are rendered but not sent (preview available in the dashboard)
- Fixed data window — analytics show a simulated 30-day window that does not advance in real time
- No multi-user testing — sandbox is per-account, not shared across team members
Exiting Sandbox Mode
To return to your live environment:
- Click Exit Demo in the sandbox banner, or
- Navigate to Settings > Account > Exit Sandbox Mode
Your live data and configuration will be exactly as you left them.
Next Steps
- Ready to go live? Follow the Quick Setup guide
- Test the API with sandbox keys — see the API Quickstart
- Migrating from Stripe? Follow the Migration Guide