generated: '2026-08-27'
method: searched
source: >-
  https://blnkfinance.com/pricing, https://docs.blnkfinance.com/home/install,
  https://blnkfinance.com/llms.txt
note: >-
  Blnk offers two distinct ways to run against a non-production ledger, and neither is a free hosted
  test mode with magic values. There are NO published test cards, test bank accounts, test identifiers,
  test-key prefixes, test clocks or fixture triggers -- a ledger has no card network to simulate, so the
  category does not apply. What exists is a real isolated environment: either a local Core you run
  yourself for nothing, or a paid managed Sandbox instance. Recorded honestly rather than omitted,
  because "how do I try this safely" has a concrete published answer here.
environments:
- name: Local Blnk Core
  kind: self-hosted
  cost: free
  install: git clone https://github.com/blnkfinance/blnk && cd blnk && docker compose up
  base_url: http://localhost:5001
  auth: >-
    None by default. BLNK_SERVER_SECURE defaults to false, which skips authentication entirely -- so a
    fresh local Core is open, and that is a deliberate developer-experience default, not a leak.
  docs: https://docs.blnkfinance.com/home/install
  note: The docs describe Docker Compose as "the last option"; the recommended on-ramp is Cloud Sandbox.
- name: Blnk Cloud Sandbox
  kind: hosted
  cost: $100/month
  trial: 5-day free trial
  signup: https://cloud.blnkfinance.com/auth/sign-up
  isolation: shared infrastructure, described as for "small to low-risk workloads"
  included_records: 100000
  throughput_tpm: 5000
  sla: none (no uptime or data-retention SLA)
  includes_mcp: true
  docs: https://blnkfinance.com/pricing
  note: >-
    A Cloud Sandbox is what gates the ledger MCP endpoint -- an agent cannot reach
    api.cloud.blnkfinance.com/mcp/{instance_id} without at least this tier.
test_values:
  published: false
  test_cards: []
  test_identifiers: []
  key_prefixes: []
  note: >-
    Blnk API keys have no documented live/test prefix convention; separation is per instance, not per
    key. The one safe-rehearsal primitive Blnk does ship is dry_run (Core 0.15.3), which previews a
    transaction's balance effect without writing -- see conventions/blnkfinance-conventions.yml.
dry_run:
  supported: true
  field: dry_run
  since: 0.15.3
  applies_to: [create transaction, bulk create, refund, inflight update]