Developers Sandbox Mode

Sandbox mode is a testing environment that helps developers create an ad account that is enabled for read and write Marketing API calls. However it doesn't actually deliver ads.

In our developer surveys, sandbox mode is repeatedly a top request. New developers on Marketing API avoided using a production ad account while building their apps, for fear of accidentally spending money. We understand that requiring a funded production ad account to try and test API calls is a developer experience we could significantly improve.

With our new Sandbox mode, you can make all Marketing API calls against a sandbox ad account and get appropriate responses from the API. Facebook does not delivery any ads created in this sandbox mode and you will not accumulate impressions or spend.

In Sandbox mode, you can set up an ad account that you use to call all production APIs with the same limitations of a production ad account. You do not need to setup a funding source for your ad account, since Facebook will not deliver the ads you create.

Sandbox Mode Limitations

• We currently do not support seeing sandbox ad accounts in Power Editor and Ads Manager. This prevents you from mistaking live and Sandbox mode accounts if you actually had both in Power Editor or Ads Manager
• Simulated insights data will be available in future releases of Sandbox mode. This data will have correct formatting, but otherwise it is simply artificial data which represents the type of information you would get. We do not guarantee that this data represents real-world logical conditions, you should not make any assumptions from these mock metrics.

FAQ's

Q: How do I get started on Sandbox mode?

A:

• Go to https://developers.facebook.com/
• Click the My Apps dropdown
• Choose an app that you have Administrator or Developer Access to
• Select Marketing API. If you don't see this option, click + Add Product and add Marketing API
• Select Tools under Marketing API
• Sandbox Mode appears

Q: Can I be able to make all read and write API calls in Sandbox mode?

A: Yes, you can call all the API's on your Sandbox ad account. Your Sandbox ad account is virtually the same as your production ad account in terms of functionality.

If your app is currently whitelisted for access to certain API's, you will also be able to call those API's on Sandbox mode.

Q: How many sandbox ad accounts can I create? Can I create more sandbox ad accounts in standard tier?

A: You can create only one Sandbox ad account regardless of the access tier that your app is in.