Staging Environment

Use https://staging.spacemedia.uk for full integration rehearsals with fictional data. Staging uses the same public API routes, authentication model, validation, review flow, add-on lifecycle, and polling fields as production.

What works

• API credential exchange and bearer authentication
• Artists, releases, tracks, uploads, rights, territories, and distribution selections
• Release readiness checks and submission
• Release review, approval, status polling, takedown, redelivery, and metadata updates
• Add-on catalog, install, activate, deactivate, and uninstall flows
• Billing contract tests that do not require a real production charge

Every add-on is free on staging. Installing an add-on creates and updates the normal local license state, but no payment provider is contacted.

Guarded QA runs can explicitly select the test gateway to simulate activation-trial card authorization. The simulation creates no real charge, stores no provider card identifier, and does not contact a payment provider. Production always rejects this test gateway.

Delivery simulation

No staging release is ever sent to a DSP or external delivery partner. After the normal review approval step, staging completes the delivery lifecycle locally and returns the same organization-visible state families that a production client polls.

Release review objects include:

{
  "review_status": "approved",
  "delivery_status": "approved",
  "delivery_simulated": true
}

delivery_simulated is true only on staging. It means that the API workflow completed successfully without external delivery. It is never proof that a release is available on a storefront.

Enterprise DDEX simulation

DDEX sandbox connections use a separate isolated simulator. The same authentication, idempotency, validation, review, queue, message, acknowledgement, webhook, and polling contracts remain available, but staging does not probe or transmit to partner endpoints.

• Missing licensed DDEX schemas produce DDEX_SCHEMA_VALIDATION_SIMULATED as an informational finding. Structural and semantic checks still run, but the result is not official XSD validation.
• Connection health checks handled by the simulator return simulated: true and external_probe_performed: false.
• SpaceMedia can run deterministic sandbox conformance and record a SIM-STAGING-* evidence reference.
• Simulated deliveries reach acknowledged locally and expose delivery_simulated: true on the canonical message resource.
• Licence and retention workflows are rehearsals only. They do not create legal approvals.
• Simulated evidence can never approve a live connection. External delivery remains disabled.

This lets a client build and test the complete integration for free while keeping every production gate explicit and fail-closed.

Media retention

Staging media is stored separately from production and is never mixed with live catalog files.

Release covers, audio, release documents, and completed local track uploads expire after seven days by default. Upload chunks and unclaimed files have shorter cleanup windows. Orphaned processing files and stale media locks are also removed automatically.

Your test client must:

• keep a local source copy of every fictional test file;
• tolerate an expired staging media URL;
• upload the file again when rerunning an old fixture;
• avoid using staging as permanent catalog storage.

Production separation

• Use separate API credentials in staging and production.
• Never send production credentials, live catalog, or customer payment data to staging.
• Treat staging status as contract evidence only.
• Run an explicit production cutover after the Go-Live Checklist.

Common questions

Does a staging release ever reach a store? No. Staging completes the delivery lifecycle locally and returns the same state families a production client polls. delivery_simulated: true marks that result.

Do add-ons cost anything on staging? No. Every add-on is free there. Installing one creates the normal local license state without contacting a payment provider.

Why did my staging media URL stop working? Staging media expires. Covers, audio, release documents, and completed local uploads clear after seven days by default, and upload chunks sooner. Keep local copies of your fixtures and re-upload when rerunning an old test.

Can staging evidence approve a live DDEX connection? No. Simulated evidence is a rehearsal. Every production gate stays explicit and fails closed.