| 1 |
# Sandbox Mode |
| 2 |
|
| 3 |
Try the full creator dashboard without signing up. Sandbox mode gives you an ephemeral account that works like a real one, with a few guardrails. |
| 4 |
|
| 5 |
## Starting a Sandbox |
| 6 |
|
| 7 |
1. Visit [/sandbox](/sandbox) (or click **Try the Dashboard** on the homepage) |
| 8 |
2. Click **Start sandbox** |
| 9 |
3. You're dropped into a pre-seeded dashboard with a demo project and two sample items |
| 10 |
|
| 11 |
No email, no password, no commitment. The session starts immediately. |
| 12 |
|
| 13 |
## What Works |
| 14 |
|
| 15 |
Everything in the creator dashboard works in sandbox mode: |
| 16 |
|
| 17 |
- **Projects**: Create, edit, delete, change visibility and settings |
| 18 |
- **Items**: Create any item type, set pricing (fixed, free, pay-what-you-want), add descriptions, manage chapters and sections |
| 19 |
- **Blog**: Write and publish blog posts with the full markdown editor |
| 20 |
- **Tags & metadata**: Organize content with tags, categories, and labels |
| 21 |
- **Membership tiers**: Create tiers with simulated payment details |
| 22 |
- **License keys**: Configure license key settings and generate keys |
| 23 |
- **Promo codes**: Create discount and free-access codes |
| 24 |
- **Collections**: Group items into collections |
| 25 |
- **Custom links**: Add links to your profile |
| 26 |
- **File uploads**: Upload real files up to 5 MB each (50 MB total) |
| 27 |
- **Analytics**: View the revenue dashboard and sales charts (with your sandbox data) |
| 28 |
- **Export**: Export your sandbox data as CSV or JSON |
| 29 |
|
| 30 |
## What's Different |
| 31 |
|
| 32 |
A few things are restricted: |
| 33 |
|
| 34 |
|
| 35 |
|
| 36 |
| **Stripe payments** | Simulated. Membership tiers get placeholder IDs. No real money moves. | |
| 37 |
| **Broadcast email** | Blocked. No emails are sent from sandbox accounts. | |
| 38 |
| **Follows** | Blocked. Sandbox accounts can't follow real users. | |
| 39 |
| **Public visibility** | Sandbox content never appears on the discover page, search, or public profiles. | |
| 40 |
| **2FA / passkeys** | Disabled. Security setup on a 1-hour account isn't useful. | |
| 41 |
| **File size** | 5 MB per file, 50 MB total (real accounts get up to {{ tier_limits.big_files_per_file }} per file depending on tier). | |
| 42 |
| **Duration** | 1 hour. After that, the account and all its data are permanently deleted. | |
| 43 |
|
| 44 |
## Limits |
| 45 |
|
| 46 |
- **1 hour**: your sandbox expires automatically. There is no way to extend it. |
| 47 |
- **5 MB per file**: enough to upload sample audio, cover images, or small downloads. |
| 48 |
- **50 MB total storage**: keeps sandbox resource usage bounded. |
| 49 |
- **Rate limited**: a maximum of 2 sandboxes can be created per 30 seconds from the same IP, with 3 concurrent sandboxes active at once. |
| 50 |
|
| 51 |
## Converting to a Real Account |
| 52 |
|
| 53 |
Sandbox data cannot be transferred to a real account. When you're ready: |
| 54 |
|
| 55 |
1. [Create a real account](/join) |
| 56 |
2. [Apply for creator access](/creators) |
| 57 |
3. Recreate the projects and items you liked from your sandbox session |
| 58 |
|
| 59 |
## See Also |
| 60 |
|
| 61 |
- [Getting Started](./getting-started.md): Full account setup walkthrough |
| 62 |
- [Content Types](./02-content.md): Items, uploads, and organization |
| 63 |
- [Pricing Tiers](./tiers.md): File limits and features per tier |
| 64 |
|