# What's the difference between Sandbox and Production environments?

> Real Verifications only run in a Production environment. Sandbox runs return sample data and incur no charges, so you can test your end-user flow safely.

Source: https://help.withpersona.com/articles/11tePoksKZ5kSCo7pdC800/
Section: Getting started > Environments > FAQ

This question came from a member of the Persona community, a developer setting up their first integration and unsure which environment to build against. This is useful for anyone starting out with Persona.

Real verifications can only be performed in a Production environment.

Sandbox environments do **not** run real Verifications. You will not incur charges for Verifications performed within your Sandbox environment. You can use your Sandbox environment to test your end-user flow and to ensure Persona is implemented properly within your app.

For example, Government ID Verification runs in the Sandbox environment do not extract real information; instead, fields are populated with sample data such as the name "Alexander J Sample".

This answer was reviewed by Justin Sayarath, a product manager at Persona. FAQs, unlike other articles, are written to provide Persona Community members more specific answers to common questions. While we periodically review responses and answers, please note when this FAQ was last updated as information may have changed since then.

_Last updated on July 29, 2025._