Testing your app on Enterprise Grid
Need a safe place to play before you make changes to your Enterprise Grid instance? Enter the sandbox, a safe development space for you to build and learn in.
A sandbox allows you to test your app against a Slack Enterprise Grid instance, complete with multiple workspaces, without fear of making a mess in production.
To get started, request a sandbox using this signup form.
- Getting started
- Completing your org setup
- Creating a workspace
- Setting up authentication
- Installing Simple IdP
- Adding users
- Data Retention
Getting started
After you submit the sandbox request form, you will be provisioned two separate Enterprise Grid sandboxes. You'll receive a separate email for each, sent to your Enterprise Organization's primary owner as specified on the signup form.
If you have questions as you start to use your sandbox, please let us know at feedback@slack.com, and the Developer Support team will get back to you as quickly as possible.
Once you have received your sandbox, you can use these instructions to get it configured and ready to use.
Completing the org setup
- Click on the "Finish Setup" link in the email invitation.
- Enter your name and create a password to set up a the Primary Org Owner account.
- Give your organization a name. This name can be updated later if you decide you want to change it. Please note that you cannot change the URL of your sandbox org.
- Agree to the general terms of service
Creating a workspace
After the Primary Org Owner creates their account, they should create at least one workspace.
- Click on "Manage Workspaces" and you will be guided through the process of setting up a new workspace.
- You will need to provide a name and a subdomain for each workspace you create.
Setting up authentication
Grid requires all users use SSO, which means admins must set up an IdP. If you already have an IdP, you are welcome to use that one on your sandbox.
If you don't have access to an IdP, we offer a Slack app, Simple IdP, that mocks an IdP to enable easy creation and management of user accounts. If you opt to use Simple IdP, all user accounts for your Grid sandbox must be created with the test IdP, and it will not be possible to create and use accounts outside of the test IdP app. Instructions for managing accounts may be found below.
Installing Simple IdP
Go toâ https://slack-test-idp-for-sandboxes.herokuapp.comâ and install the app. Make sure you install the app on the org, and not a workspace!

Copy over the needed info into your org SSO configuration
There are some pre-configured settings from Simple IdP you need to copy into your sandbox's SSO configurations.
Adding users
You can add as many auto-generated users as you like through Simple IdP. For the most part, these auto-generated users are good for testing your app. However, if you need more than one real person signed into your org at a time, youâll need to take a few extra steps because of how the Simple IdP works.
Each person that you want to be able to sign into the sandbox will first need to sign in as the primary owner, authenticate the Simple IdP app, sign out, and then sign in as themselves.
First, go to "Create a custom user" and provision an account for them in the Simple IdP. They will now show in the âOrganization Membersâ list at http://[org-domain].enterprise.slack.com/manage/organization/members
Add that user to a workspace and have them follow these steps:
- Go to the sign-in page for the workspace you added them to (http://[workspace-domain].slack.com/)
- Click on the âSign in with SAMLâ button
- On the page that loads, click on the âSign in with Slackâ button
- Sign in with the primary ownerâs email and password.
- Authorize the Simple IdP app
- Enter their email address on the resulting page, and click the âSign Inâ button.
- That will take them to the Org control panel, where they can then launch the team.
After that, they'll remain logged in.
If you have questions as you start to use your sandbox, please let us know at feedback@slack.com, and the Developer Support team will get back to you as quickly as we can.
Data Retention
As a test instance, your Enterprise Grid sandbox comes with some limitations.
The developer instance of Enterprise Grid is a development sandbox with limitations around data retention and user account creation. These limitations exist because the sandbox isnât intended for normal use, it is for testing purposes only. Slack will retain messages and files shared in the sandbox for only three days after theyâre created.