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Demo inventory, explained

What the "Demo inventory" label means, how simulated numbers and codes behave, and why we label them so clearly.

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On this page4
  1. What the simulator does
  2. What it's for
  3. Does it cost anything?
  4. In the API

Anywhere you see the Demo inventory label, the numbers and messages come from our built-in simulator, not from a phone carrier. We label it everywhere it appears because you should always know exactly what you're looking at.

What the simulator does

  • Numbers are fictional. US demo numbers use the 555-01xx range that's reserved for fiction; other countries use similarly unassignable ranges. Nobody can text them.
  • Codes are generated. A short while after you order — between 6 and 28 seconds — the simulator delivers an SMS modelled on the real service's message, like Your Discord verification code is 482913.
  • Some orders fail, on purpose. Each demo offer has a success rate and the simulator honours it. Some orders never get a message, expire after 20 minutes and are refunded — exactly as a real order would be.
  • Demo rentals have an inbox. A demo rental receives its first simulated message a few minutes after it starts, and more over the following hours.

Warning

A demo number can't receive a real SMS. Don't enter one into a real service — that code will never arrive. Demo numbers are for trying passcode.sh itself.

What it's for

Demo inventory lets you try the whole product — quoting, ordering, the live console, refunds, rentals, the API and webhooks — before real numbers are on sale. Orders behave like real ones end to end, including the order.code_received and order.expired webhooks, so it's also the quickest way to build and test an integration.

Does it cost anything?

Demo orders are charged and refunded under the same rules as real ones, so your balance and ledger behave exactly as they will later. While payments run in Stripe test mode, no real money changes hands.

In the API

Every order and rental the API returns has a demo field. It's true for simulator inventory — check it if your integration needs to tell the two apart.