Pipedrive Developer Sandbox

What the Sandbox Is For

A Pipedrive developer sandbox is a separate, isolated Pipedrive account for testing. It has the same features as a real account but is free and contains no production data. We use it to build and test your integration without any risk to your live Pipedrive data.

Step-by-Step Setup

1. Access the Developer Hub

1. Go to Pipedrive’s developer portal (developers.pipedrive.com)
2. Log in with your Pipedrive credentials, or create a developer account if you don’t have one
3. Navigate to the sandbox section

2. Create a Sandbox Account

1. Look for the option to create a new sandbox account
2. Give it a name that identifies the project — something like “AcuCoders Integration Test”
3. The sandbox will be provisioned with a fresh Pipedrive instance

3. Create Test Data

A sandbox starts empty. You’ll want to add some representative data:

• Contacts/People: Add 10-20 test contacts with realistic data (names, emails, phone numbers)
• Organizations: Create a handful of test companies
• Deals: Create deals at different pipeline stages
• Custom fields: Set up the same custom fields you have in production
• Activities: Add a few calls, meetings, and tasks

The test data should mirror your production setup as closely as possible. If you use custom pipelines or multiple pipelines, recreate those in the sandbox.

4. Generate API Credentials

1. In the sandbox account, go to your personal settings
2. Navigate to the API section to find your personal API token
3. For OAuth-based integrations, create a new app in the developer hub and configure it for the sandbox

Send us the sandbox credentials through our secure credential link.

How Sandbox Differs from Production

• Data is isolated. Nothing in the sandbox affects your real Pipedrive account.
• Same features. The sandbox has all the same API endpoints, webhooks, and functionality.
• No email sending. Some sandboxes restrict outbound emails to prevent accidental sends.
• Separate URL. The sandbox has its own subdomain, so API calls go to a different base URL than production.
• Reset capability. You can wipe and recreate sandbox data without consequences.

Switching Between Sandbox and Production

When we’re ready to move from testing to production:

1. We update the API credentials from sandbox to production
2. We update the base URL to point to your production Pipedrive account
3. We run a final round of tests against production with a small batch of data
4. We activate the full integration

This switch is something we handle. You’ll just need to provide production API credentials when we’re ready.

When We Use Sandbox vs Production

Sandbox for:

• Initial development and testing
• Testing webhook configurations
• Verifying field mappings
• Testing error handling and edge cases

Production for:

• Final validation before go-live
• User acceptance testing with real data
• Performance testing with actual data volumes

Some integrations are simple enough that we test directly in production with a small test dataset. We’ll discuss the approach with you based on the complexity of your setup.

Common Issues

Sandbox Features Don’t Match Production

If your production Pipedrive is on a specific plan (Professional, Enterprise), the sandbox may not replicate all plan-specific features. Let us know your plan level so we can account for differences.

Custom Fields Missing

If you have custom fields in production that don’t exist in the sandbox, the integration will behave differently. Make sure to recreate the custom fields you use.

Sandbox Expired or Inactive

Developer sandboxes may have inactivity limits. If you can’t access your sandbox, check the developer portal to see if it needs to be reactivated or recreated.

Next Steps

• Generate your API token: Pipedrive API Token Setup
• Set up webhooks for testing: Pipedrive Webhook Setup
• Learn more about our Pipedrive Integration Services