Use development stores and test cards

Testing your Shopify hooks in a live store can be risky—you might accidentally process real payments or trigger unwanted notifications. Development stores provide a safe, isolated environment to test your hooks without real-world consequences.

Why use development stores?

• ✅ Test hooks without processing real payments
• ✅ Access to Advanced Shopify plan features
• ✅ No risk of affecting real customers
• ✅ Simulate various payment scenarios

How to set up a development store

If you prefer video tutorials, check out this official Shopify guide:

Follow these steps to create your development store:

1. Open your Shopify Partner account
   • Visit Shopify Partners
   • Log in or sign up for an account
2. Create a development store
   • Navigate to 'Stores' in Partner Dashboard
   • Click 'Add store'
   • Select 'Development store'
   • Choose 'Create a store to test and build'
   • Enter required details
3. Configure store settings
   • Log in to the development store
   • Access 'Settings / General'
   • Configure basic store details
4. Set up test payments
   • Go to 'Settings / Payments'
   • Click "Activate test provider"
   • Activate the Bogus Gateway

Testing best practices

✅ Do:

• Use different test card numbers to simulate various scenarios
• Test all possible payment flows your hooks might encounter
• Reset the development store regularly to maintain a clean testing environment
• Document test scenarios and results

❌ Don't:

• Use real payment credentials in development stores
• Skip testing error scenarios
• Assume successful test payments will behave exactly like real ones

Test card reference

Use these test card numbers to simulate different scenarios:

• 1: Successful transaction
• 2: Failed transaction
• 3: Provider error exception

For all test cards:

• Name: Any name
• CVV: Any 3 digits
• Expiry: Any future date

Troubleshooting tips

• If test payments aren't working, verify the Bogus Gateway is properly activated
• Clear browser cache if you encounter persistent issues
• Ensure your hook has proper permissions in the development store
• Check development store limits and restrictions

Key takeaways

• Always test hooks in development stores before deploying to production
• Use test cards to simulate various payment scenarios
• Keep development stores clean and reset regularly
• Document all test cases and results for future reference