The Pismo platform provides separate environments for testing and production. This guide summarizes the Pismo environments and how to use them.

Authentication

For more information about authentication, see Security.

Endpoint structure

An endpoint is a URL that you can use to send a request to the Pismo platform. An endpoint has the following syntax.

protocol:hostname/[prefix]/API version/path

Here's a sample endpoint that directs a request to Pismo's test environment.

https://sandbox.pismolabs.io/accounts/v1/accounts/10/balances/

The following table explains the different components in the sample endpoint.

Name	Component	Details
protocol	https://	Always `https://`. This means the connection is encrypted and your data is safe.
hostname	sandbox.pismolabs.io	Server name that identifies the environment.
prefix	accounts	Name of the service you are accessing.
API version	v1	Version of the API the endpoint uses. Used to avoid breaking changes to existing paths.
path	accounts/10/balances	Path of the endpoint that specifies the method called by the endpoint. This follows REST API design standard.

Environments provided by the Pismo platform

The Pismo platform currently provides the following environments.

EXT – A stable environment intended for external developers who want to test their integrations. Nothing done in EXT affects actual data.
Production – Used by the end-user to interact with the Pismo platform. Any change you make here can affect live production data.

The endpoint you use determines the environment to which your call is routed, so each type of request has multiple endpoints associated with it, depending on the target environment. For example, if you send a request to the test environment, you'll need to use a different endpoint to send the same request to production.

Components of a Pismo environment

Every Pismo environment consists of exactly the same components. If you understand a few core concepts, you should be able to identify issues no matter where you find them.

PCI endpoints vs. non-PCI endpoints

PCI (Payment Card Industry) certification requires extra security measures for endpoints that pass or return sensitive data, such as PAN and CVV. The following services use PCI endpoints (in both EXT and Production):

/cardsonfile/
/pcicards/
/transactionsgateway/
/embossing/
/cards-tokenization/

Hostnames

A hostname is the entry point for an environment. Each environment has two servers:

Non-PCI – Server that handles most API calls.
PCI – Server than handles calls to PCI-related endpoints.

Hostnames for EXT

Use the following servers in EXT:

Type of endpoint	Hostname
Non-PCI	sandbox.pismolabs.io
PCI	gw-pci.pismolabs.io

Hostnames for Production

In production, Pismo provides hostnames that are based on the specifics of your implementation. Ask your Pismo representative about the hostnames to use in production.

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In EXT, some endpoints might work with either hostname. However, in production, you must use the appropriate hostname.