Bybit Testnet: testing Autoview before you trade live
Bybit Testnet is a free, separate demo exchange with its own funds and its own markets, and Autoview connects to it exactly the way it connects to live Bybit. If you want to prove a new alert, a new command, or a whole new strategy works before it touches real money, this is the account to connect first.
Testnet funds and markets are separate from mainnet. A Bybit Testnet account is a different account from your live Bybit account, with its own demo balance. Nothing you do on testnet moves real money, and nothing on testnet affects your live positions.
What Bybit Testnet is
Bybit runs a public testnet at testnet.bybit.com, a fully separate exchange environment with its own API endpoint (api-testnet.bybit.com). It mirrors live Bybit's order types and account mechanics, but the balances are demo funds Bybit credits you, not real money, and the markets trade against other testnet users rather than the live order book. It exists so you can place real orders, see real fills, and confirm your automation behaves the way you expect, with nothing at risk.
On Autoview, this shows up as its own exchange connection, ByBit Testnet, priced at $0. It's a first-class connection, not a toggle on your live Bybit account -- you add it separately, with its own API key, and it runs alongside (or instead of) your live connection.
Register a Bybit Testnet account
Testnet accounts are separate from live Bybit accounts, so you register one on Bybit's own testnet site, not through Autoview: testnet.bybit.com. Bybit credits the account with demo funds automatically once it's created.
From there, generate an API key the same way you would on live Bybit: open the testnet site's API management page, create a key with order permissions (place, cancel, read balances and positions), and skip withdrawal permission -- testnet funds can't be withdrawn, so there's nothing to protect there, but it's still the right habit to carry over.
Connect it to Autoview
In Autoview, add an account and choose ByBit Testnet from the exchange list rather than ByBit. Paste the API key and secret from the testnet site's API management page, the same two fields as a live Bybit connection: API Key and Private Key. There's no passphrase, so those two fields are all you need. Run the connection test after saving; a clean test means the testnet key authenticates.
Sending commands: what changes, what doesn't
The command syntax is identical to live Bybit. Every parameter on the Bybit perpetuals command reference and the Bybit spot command reference works the same way on testnet: the same grammar, the same order types, the same attached-bracket behavior. Only the account differs.
The one thing that changes is how the Chrome extension picks the exchange. On the webhook platform, a webhook is already tied to whichever account you connected it to, so you never set an exchange in the command itself. On the extension, swap e=BYBIT for e=BYBITTESTNET (or the equivalent e=BYBIT-TESTNET):
| Live Bybit (extension) | Bybit Testnet (extension) |
|---|---|
e=BYBIT s=BTCUSDT b=buy t=market q=0.001 | e=BYBITTESTNET s=BTCUSDT b=buy t=market q=0.001 |
Add d=1 to any command first, on testnet the same as live, and Autoview parses it and reports what it would have done without placing anything. It's a useful habit to keep even on demo funds, since it's the fastest way to confirm the resolved order looks right before you check it lands correctly on testnet.
Perpetuals vs. spot testnet
Testnet mirrors live Bybit's split between perpetuals and spot. ByBit Testnet is the perpetuals demo connection; ByBit Spot Testnet is the separate spot demo connection, matching ByBit and ByBit Spot on the live side. Connect whichever matches what you're testing, or both if you trade both surfaces. Each testnet connection uses its own API key from the same testnet site.
Once testnet looks right
Testnet proves your command syntax and your alert wiring, not your live account's credentials or permissions -- those are separate on Bybit, so a working testnet connection doesn't skip the setup steps on live Bybit. When you're ready, follow the getting started with Bybit guide to connect your live account, generate a live API key, and run the same dry-run-then-live check with real funds at a small size.