generated: '2026-08-13'
method: searched
source: >-
  https://docs.trajectdata.com/valueserp/HX_zC2K66qg5OEkKe7g5p (Send Requests),
  https://docs.trajectdata.com/valueserp/account-api,
  https://docs.trajectdata.com/valueserp/api-playground,
  https://docs.trajectdata.com/valueserp/-2P6-4NlHRx7tWcejsBlY (Error Handling),
  https://trajectdata.com/serp/value-serp-api/pricing/
description: >-
  ValueSERP has no separate sandbox environment and no test-vs-live key
  separation. What it publishes instead is a shared demo API key that works
  against the real production endpoint, a hosted playground in the dashboard,
  and a billing rule that makes exploration cheap: unsuccessful requests are
  never charged. There is no test-mode namespace, no fixture data, no time
  simulation, and no way to exercise the Batches or Destinations surfaces
  without a funded account.
sandbox_environment: false
test_mode: false
separate_base_url: false
base_url: https://api.valueserp.com

modes:
  - name: production
    base_url: https://api.valueserp.com
    key_prefixes: []
    note: >-
      The only environment. Keys are opaque — the documentation shows no
      test/live prefix convention (nothing analogous to sk_test_ / sk_live_),
      so a key cannot be identified as test or production by inspection.

test_credentials:
  - name: demo key
    value: demo
    parameter: api_key
    published_verbatim: true
    source: https://docs.trajectdata.com/valueserp/HX_zC2K66qg5OEkKe7g5p
    description: >-
      The literal string `demo` is used as the api_key in every code sample
      across the documentation (Send Requests, Account API, and each reference
      page) — e.g.
      https://api.valueserp.com/search?api_key=demo&q=pizza. It is a
      vendor-published shared demo credential, not a secret, and it is quoted
      here exactly as the vendor prints it.
    caveats: >-
      Shared and rate-limited by definition; the docs do not state what quota or
      restrictions apply to it, and it is not suitable for anything beyond a
      first request.
    also_declared_in: >-
      openapi/valueserp-search-api-openapi.yml — the apiKeyQuery securityScheme
      description says 'Use "demo" as the key for testing.'

free_trial:
  offered: true
  amount: 100 searches
  credit_card_required: false
  source: https://trajectdata.com/serp/value-serp-api/pricing/
  note: >-
    "100 free requests on signup" with no credit card required, per the pricing
    page and plans/valueserp-plans-pricing.yml. This is the realistic path to a
    working key.

hosted_playground:
  available: true
  url: https://app.valueserp.com/playground
  docs: https://docs.trajectdata.com/valueserp/api-playground
  authentication: dashboard login required
  description: >-
    An interactive request builder in the ValueSERP dashboard. It executes
    against production and consumes account credits like any other successful
    request.

free_operations:
  description: >-
    Endpoints that never consume credits, which function as a no-cost way to
    verify connectivity and key validity before spending anything.
  operations:
    - endpoint: GET /account
      note: >-
        "There is no charge for calls made to the Account API." Returns credits
        used/remaining, 3 months of usage history, and live platform status.
    - endpoint: Locations API
      note: Not billed.
    - endpoint: Error Logs API
      note: Not billed.

billing_safety_net:
  statement: >-
    "You won't be charged for any request that does not return a successful
    (200) status code. Only successful requests incur charges, so you can test
    and explore with confidence."
  source: https://docs.trajectdata.com/valueserp/-2P6-4NlHRx7tWcejsBlY
  implication: >-
    Malformed experiments, bad keys, rate-limit rejections and parsing-incident
    503s are all free. This is ValueSERP's substitute for a sandbox.

not_available:
  - Separate sandbox or staging base URL.
  - Test-mode API keys distinguishable from live keys.
  - Deterministic fixture or canned-response data.
  - Time simulation / test clocks.
  - Any way to exercise Batches, Destinations or the completion webhook without a funded production account.
  - A published trigger tool for simulating the batch_resultset_completed webhook (the Resend Webhook operation replays a REAL result set only).