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What is the Sandbox API?

The Sandbox API is a development tool that simplifies getting started with Fishjam by providing a simple backend for testing, eliminating the need to build your own server initially.

What can the Sandbox API do?​

The Sandbox API is an HTTP server that comes with Fishjam's Sandbox environment. It provides basic room creation and peer management functionality without requiring you to set up your own backend infrastructure.

Key Characteristics​

  • Development-purposed: Designed for initial development and testing
  • No authentication: Simplified access for quick prototyping
  • Sandbox-only: Only available in the Sandbox environment

The Problem Sandbox API Solves​

When starting with videoconferencing or livestreaming development, you typically need:

  1. A Backend server to create rooms
  2. An Authentication system to manage users
  3. Token management for secure peer access
  4. API endpoints for your frontend to call

This creates a problem: to test your frontend, you need a backend, but during prototyping you want to focus on frontend development first. The Sandbox API mitigates this issue and allows you to start frontend development ASAP.

Relationship to Server SDKs​

The Sandbox API is essentially a simplified application built using the Fishjam Server SDKs:

// What Sandbox API does internally (simplified)
const fishjamClient = new FishjamClient({ fishjamUrl, managementToken });

app.get("/", async (req: express.Request, res: express.Response) => {
  const { roomName, peerName, roomType } = req.query;

  // Create or get room
  const room = await fishjamClient.createRoom({
    roomType: roomType as RoomConfigRoomTypeEnum,
  });

  // Create or get peer
  const { peer, peerToken } = await fishjamClient.createPeer(room.id);

  res.json({ peerToken, url: fishjamUrl });
});

This shows you exactly what your production backend needs to do, just with proper authentication and error handling.

See also​

To understand how to use The Sandbox API for development:

To learn about building your own backend:

To understand the security model: