Every Conekta integration lives first in test mode and then in production. They're two deliberately separate worlds: in one you experiment without consequences; in the other, every transaction moves real money.
What changes between them
- Credentials: each mode has its own keys (API keys). Test keys only work in test mode and production keys only in production — they aren't interchangeable.
- Data: test payments, customers, and reports are kept apart. Nothing you do in test mode appears in your real reports or your balance.
- Money: in test mode you use simulated cards and references; no transaction generates a real charge or a payout to your bank.
- Risk: in test mode you can force declines, errors, and refunds to verify that your system responds correctly; in production, every error affects a real buyer.
Why the separation matters
Testing in production "with a tiny charge" seems harmless, but it generates fees, movements in your reports, and possible refunds that muddy your reconciliation. The reverse is worse: leaving test keys on your live site means no customer can actually pay you.
Next step
Go through the full flow with How to make a test charge and, once everything works, follow How to go from test to production.