For https://marketplace.unimerce.com, use Environment = staging, Debug Mode = true during testing, and Stripe/PayPal sandbox credentials. Change to production/live only when launching the official public site.
Environment
- local
- Developer machine or earliest testing. Shows more debugging information.
- staging
- Testing server such as marketplace.unimerce.com. Use sandbox payment keys and test webhooks.
- production
- Live public website. Hide debug errors and use live credentials only when ready.
Debug Mode
- true
- Show detailed errors. Recommended for local/staging testing only.
- false
- Hide detailed errors. Required for production.
Time Zones
- Application Timezone
- Business timezone used by UNIMERCE for admin dates, membership periods, and scheduled logic. Recommended: America/New_York.
- Server Timezone
- Timezone used by the server/cron environment. UTC is recommended for reliable logs and billing calculations.
- Default User Timezone
- Timezone assigned to new users until they choose their own timezone in account settings.
Membership Billing
- Stripe Sandbox
- Use Stripe test keys and Stripe subscription checkout for membership plans.
- PayPal Sandbox
- Use PayPal Developer sandbox app credentials and PayPal subscriptions.
- Mixed
- Allow each plan to choose Stripe, PayPal, or manual activation.
- Manual/Admin Activation
- Use admin approval and manual subscription activation without automatic payment billing.
PayPal Mode
- sandbox
- Use PayPal developer sandbox for testing. Recommended during v1 setup.
- live
- Use real PayPal billing. Use only for production after testing is complete.
Cron
- Subscription cron
- Run bin/cron-subscriptions.php every 15 minutes to expire pending payments, suspend overdue accounts after grace period, and maintain membership state.
Recommended v1 Testing Values
APP_ENV=staging
APP_DEBUG=true
APP_TIMEZONE=America/New_York
SERVER_TIMEZONE=UTC
DEFAULT_USER_TIMEZONE=America/New_York
PAYPAL_MODE=sandbox