# Test and live keys

> Test keys let you build the whole integration for free. Here is exactly what they fake and what they do for real.

Every key is minted as **test** or **live**. `GET /v1/me` shows which in `credential.environment`. Test keys are free on every plan; live keys need a plan with live API access and an approved app.

## What a test key does

| Area | With a test key |
| --- | --- |
| Projects, commands, workspaces | **Real.** Projects are created, edited and deleted on your account. |
| Uploads and imports | **Real.** Files are stored and count towards your storage. |
| Previews | **Real.** Frames show your actual timeline. |
| Renders | **Sample.** The project is checked, then a finished sample file comes back at once (`test: true`). Nothing is queued and no export is used. |
| Generation (images, speech, stickers, video, transcription) | **Sample.** A fixed sample file or transcript, no provider is called, nothing is charged. `quoteOnly` is ignored. |
| Editing agent | **Sample.** Needs a real project, then returns an empty plan without calling a model. |
| Plugins | **Not called.** You get `{ "ok": true, "test": true }`. |
| Telegram bot users | Reads work. Changes are refused: those are real people on a live bot. |

> **Warning: Use a dedicated test project.** Because edits are real, a test key pointed at a production project changes it. Create a project for testing and delete it when you are done.

Sample files live under `/fixtures/v1/` on the API host and are served with `Access-Control-Allow-Origin: *`, so a test page in your browser can load them.

## Switching to live

Create a live key in the same app, swap it in, and run the same code. Responses from live keys have the same shape, without `test` and `note`, and render responses add an `applied` object describing what the plan decided.

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Source: https://developer.vidmoat.com/developer/docs/concepts/test-and-live-keys
Previous: [Credits and plans](https://developer.vidmoat.com/developer/docs/concepts/credits-and-plans.md)
Next: [Webhooks](https://developer.vidmoat.com/developer/docs/webhooks.md)
All documentation: https://developer.vidmoat.com/llms-full.txt