Question
When integrating PTV Developer APIs, it is common to need distinct environments for development, testing/acceptance, and production. This article explains how to structure your subscriptions and API keys to achieve this separation.
Answer
In PTV Developer, environment separation is managed at the subscription level, not at the account level. The recommended setup is:
| Environment | Recommended subscription type |
|---|---|
| Development | Free or Developer Kit |
| Testing / Acceptance | Free or Developer Kit (if volume allows) — or Paid for larger test campaigns |
| Production | Paid / Personal Contract |
Steps to set up this structure:
- Use your Free subscription for development and testing workloads.
- Create a dedicated Paid subscription for production usage.
- Generate separate API keys for each environment under the appropriate subscription.
- In your application configuration, reference the correct API key per environment (dev / test / prod).
There is no technical difference between a "production API key" and a "test API key" — the distinction is entirely determined by which subscription the key belongs to.
Additions hints
If your testing phase requires a high transaction volume that exceeds Free plan limits, a Paid subscription dedicated to testing may be necessary. Keep production API keys strictly separate from development keys to avoid accidental billing for non-production traffic.
Related articles
PTV Developer FAQ
PTV Developer: How to get a subscription?
PTV Developer: Are there any rate limits to the calculation?
PTV Developer: Can I send requests to the PTV Developer API in XML format?
PTV Developer: How to Run Performance Tests on PTV Developer APIs
PTV Developer: How to understand Service Plans and account structure in PTV Developer?