---
url: /docs/learn/instances.md
description: >-
  Instances are isolated BlindPay environments, one per stage of your stack,
  created in the dashboard.
---

An instance is an isolated BlindPay environment. If your product has separate development, staging, and production environments, create one instance for each. All features live inside an instance: customers, bank accounts, wallets, virtual accounts, payouts, and payins.

Instances are created through the [BlindPay dashboard](https://app.blindpay.com). You cannot create them via the API.

Each instance is either a `development` or `production` instance. Both expose the same features but differ in KYC handling, network availability, and whether fiat actually moves.

All payouts and payins made on development instances skip the real fiat payment rails. Payouts do not move real money, and payins auto-complete a simulated deposit instead of waiting for a real bank transfer.

## Development vs. production

| Feature | Development | Production |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Customers | Supported | Supported |
| Bank accounts | Supported | Supported |
| Payout quotes | Supported | Supported |
| Payouts | Supported (no real fiat movement) | Supported |
| Payin quotes | Supported | Supported |
| Payins | Supported (auto-completes in ~30s) | Supported |
| KYC | Auto-approved | Automated (~60s) or manual review |
| EVM networks | `sepolia`, `base_sepolia`, `arbitrum_sepolia`, `polygon_amoy` | `ethereum`, `base`, `polygon`, `arbitrum` |
| Stellar | Testnet | Mainnet |
| Solana | Devnet | Mainnet |
| Tron | N/A | Mainnet (beta) |
| API keys | Supported | Supported |
| Webhooks | Supported | Supported |

On development instances, use USDB as the test stablecoin: a BlindPay-issued test token you can mint freely instead of sourcing real USDC or USDT. See [Sandbox vs. production](/learn/sandbox-vs-production) for the full testing workflow.

## Create an instance

### Open the dashboard

Go to the [BlindPay dashboard](https://app.blindpay.com) and click **Create instance**.

### Choose an environment

Choose whether the new instance is `development` or `production`. Development instances are ready immediately.

### Wait for activation (production only)

New production instances may take up to 3 business days to set up. See [Cut-off times](/kb/cut-off-times) for full SLAs.

## API keys are per-instance

An API key authenticates requests to one instance only. A key created for instance A will not work against instance B, even within the same organization. See [API keys](/learn/api-keys) to create and manage keys.

## Related

* [Sandbox vs. production](/learn/sandbox-vs-production): behavior differences in depth
* [API keys](/learn/api-keys): create and manage instance keys
* [Billing](/learn/billing): how usage is charged per instance