API playgrounds

API playgrounds are an interactive area where your API can be tried right in the browser: next to a method’s description there is a form where a developer fills in parameters and a token, presses “Run” and immediately sees the real request and response. We build the playground from your OpenAPI specification (see the “OpenAPI specs maintenance” service), embed it in the documentation or on a separate page, set up authorization (so one can try it under their own key but without leaking secrets into the browser) and connect it to a safe backend. The point is for an integrator to understand in a minute how a method works on a live example, rather than assembling the first request blindly. Importantly and honestly, about safety: a playground makes real requests, so it must hit not the production system but a test environment or sandbox (see the “Sandbox environment setup” service) — otherwise “Run” could create a real order or delete real data. We set this up carefully: test keys, safe token passing, separation of the production and test circuits. A public playground also carries an abuse risk (mass requests through the form), so we add limits: throttling and test keys with quotas. Also honestly: the playground is generated from the specification, so its quality is the quality of your spec: an inaccurate spec gives non-working examples. And about boundaries: if your API is internal or there is a single consumer, an interactive sandbox may be excessive — sometimes examples in the documentation or a ready Postman collection (see the “Postman collections maintenance” service) are enough, and we will say so. A playground is justified when the API is public and it matters that a new developer can try it out themselves in a minute. Picture this: a partner opens a method, presses “Run” with a test key, sees the response and immediately understands the format — without a single line of code and without an email to support. The base price starts from 55,000 ₽: a start for a typical case; non-standard authorization, separate circuits, integration with a legacy API and special interface requirements cost more. It depends on the size of the API, the engine and the setup of authorization and the test environment.

• To understand an API method, a developer has to assemble the first request blindly.
• The documentation only describes but does not let you try — lots of guessing and mistakes.
• Partners flood support with “what comes back if…” questions.
• A high entry barrier: it is a long way from reading the docs to the first successful request.

• An interactive playground from your OpenAPI specification
• A “Run” form: parameters, headers, request body
• Showing the real request and response, codes and errors
• Safe authorization (test keys, without leaking secrets)
• Connection to a test environment or sandbox, not to production
• Embedding in the documentation or on a separate page
• Code examples in the languages you need next to the request
• Setup for updating together with the specification

• A developer tries a method in a minute — a live example instead of guessing
• A lower entry barrier — one click from reading to the first request
• Fewer questions to support — the answer is visible right away
• The API looks professional and invites integration

• We look at the specification and decide where the playground hits (test/sandbox)
• We embed the sandbox, set up authorization and security
• We test on real calls, publish, and link it to the specification

• How is a playground different from documentation, Postman and a sandbox?

  Documentation (see the “Developer documentation” service) explains and describes. A Postman collection (see the “Postman collections maintenance” service) is ready requests tried in the Postman app. A playground is “try it right in the browser”, without installing anything. And a sandbox (see the “Sandbox environment setup” service) is the safe test environment the playground should hit. In short: the playground is the interactive UI, the sandbox is the dedicated test backend it calls. They work best together: the specification as the source, the documentation as the explanation, the playground as “try it”, the sandbox as the safe backend.

• Won’t the playground affect the production system?

  A well-configured playground never touches production — we secure this up front. A playground makes real requests, so we point it at a test environment or sandbox, use test keys and do not expose secrets in the browser. Letting “Run” go straight into production is dangerous: it could create a real order or delete data, so we do not do that and do not advise it.

• Do we definitely need a playground?

  Not always. If the API is internal or there is a single consumer, examples in the documentation or a Postman collection are often enough — and we will honestly say so. An interactive sandbox is justified for a public API where a low entry barrier matters and a new developer should quickly try everything themselves.