> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.primevault.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Setting up API user for testing

> Create a dedicated PrimeVault test API user to safely try key generation, onboarding, and SDK integration before you move to production.

Before connecting to PrimeVault's APIs in production, we strongly recommend creating a dedicated test API user. This lets you safely experiment with key generation, onboarding, and SDK integration, and confirm everything works as expected before you move to live deployments.

## Steps

<Steps>
  <Step title="Generate a public-private key pair">
    Create the key pair for your test API user. For detailed steps, see [Generate Public-Private key pair for API User](/getting-started/generate-key-pair).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Register your public key">
    Enter the public key in PrimeVault's UI when creating a new API user.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Initialize the SDK">
    Use the private key to initialize the `APIClient` in your SDK.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Copy your API key">
    Once the API user is added and marked as **Active**, copy the generated API key from the UI and start using it in the SDK for testing.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Deactivate after testing">
    When testing is complete, deactivate the test API user to maintain security.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Warning>
  Keep your private key secure, even for test users. It never leaves your environment and is never shared with PrimeVault.
</Warning>

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Set up for production" icon="rocket" href="/getting-started/api-user-production">
    Create an API user for live transactions.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Permissions" icon="lock" href="/getting-started/permissions-for-api-user">
    Control what your API user can do.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>


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