External Services in Dev

Integrate with third-party systems locally without introducing fragile setup.

  • Prefer sandbox/test accounts for external providers.
  • Emulate only where emulation is sufficiently accurate.
  • Isolate third-party credentials by environment.

Alternatives and when to choose them

  • Full local mocks for fast UI iteration.
  • Always-live sandbox integration for high contract confidence.

Implementation checklist

  • Document each external dependency and local strategy.
  • Provide fallback behavior when provider is unavailable.
  • Add seed scripts for deterministic local setup.

Common pitfalls

  • Dependence on personal credentials.
  • No contract verification between mocks and real provider APIs.

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