Testing

ZuriPay provides a sandbox environment for testing your integration without processing real payments. Use test API keys to simulate payment flows.

Test API keys

Test API keys have the prefix sk_test_ or pk_test_. They connect to the same API endpoints but route to a sandbox environment.

Key Type	Prefix	Purpose
Secret (test)	`sk_test_*`	Server-side test operations
Public (test)	`pk_test_*`	Client-side test operations
Secret (live)	`sk_live_*`	Server-side production operations
Public (live)	`pk_live_*`	Client-side production operations

Obtain your test keys from the ZuriPay Dashboard under Settings > API Keys.

Test mode and live mode use the same API endpoints. The API key prefix determines which environment processes the request.

Test transactions

When using test keys, you can simulate different transaction outcomes.

EcoCash mobile money testing

For EcoCash payments in test mode, include the requested_response parameter to simulate different outcomes:

Name
requested_response
Type
string
Description
Simulated response type. Use "success" for successful payments or "failed" for failed payments.

Card payment testing

For card payments (Zimswitch/DPO), the test environment provides a simulated checkout flow that mimics the production experience.

Test transaction with EcoCash

curl -X POST https://api.zuripay.app/v1/transactions \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sk_test_your_api_key" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "amount": 1000,
    "email": "[email protected]",
    "currency": "USD",
    "payment_method_type": "mobile_money",
    "payment_method_code": "ecocash",
    "mobile_money_number": "0771234567",
    "requested_response": "success"
  }'

Going live

When you are ready to accept real payments, follow these steps:

Complete business verification -- Submit your business details and documentation in the Dashboard
Submit a Go Live Request -- Found under Settings > API Keys in the Dashboard
Wait for approval -- The ZuriPay team will review your application
Replace test keys with live keys -- Update your server configuration to use sk_live_* keys

Checklist before going live

All test transactions pass successfully
Webhook endpoints are configured and responding
Error handling covers all edge cases
Success and failure redirect URLs are working
Customer email notifications are formatted correctly

Your business must be approved for live transactions before live keys will work. Attempting to use live keys without approval returns an error: "Business is not approved for live transactions."