Sandbox API Common Pitfalls

Table of Contents

• Always test in the Sandbox first
• Handle pagination
• Use webhooks for event-driven workflows
• Have more questions?

Always test in the Sandbox first

One of the most common mistakes is developing and testing directly against the production API. Use the Sandbox to validate your code before switching to production:

import os
from dotenv import load_dotenv
from dnsimple import Client

load_dotenv()

client = Client(sandbox=True, access_token=os.getenv("DNSIMPLE_TOKEN"))

response = client.identity.whoami()
account = response.data.account

print(f"Account: id={account.id}, email={account.email}, plan={account.plan_identifier}")

When you set sandbox=True, the client directs all API calls to the Sandbox environment. Once your code is validated, change this to sandbox=False (or remove it) and update your token to a production token.

Handle pagination

The DNSimple API paginates responses, returning a limited number of results per page. If you do not account for pagination, you may miss records:

def get_all_records(client, account_id, domain):
    all_records = []
    page = 1

    while True:
        response = client.zones.list_records(account_id, domain, page=page)
        all_records.extend(response.data)

        if page >= response.pagination.total_pages:
            break
        page += 1

    return all_records

Use webhooks for event-driven workflows

Rather than polling the API for changes, use DNSimple’s webhooks to react to events in real time:

from flask import Flask, request
app = Flask(__name__)

@app.route('/webhooks/dnsimple', methods=['POST'])
def handle_dnsimple_webhook():
    event = request.json

    if event['name'] == 'domain.register':
        domain_name = event['data']['domain']['name']
        provision_dns_for_domain(domain_name)

    return '', 200

Have more questions?

If you have additional questions or need any assistance with the DNSimple Sandbox API, just contact support, and we’ll be happy to help.