Hyperliquid testnet without a mainnet deposit
Hyperliquid's testnet faucet pays 1,000 mock USDC only to addresses that have deposited on mainnet. A paper box needs no deposit, no funds and no signup: one POST gives you a simulated account with $10,000 and live mainnet prices, traded with the official SDK.
- BOX
- curl -X POST https://api.ironflow.sh/v1/ironbox no key
- SDK
- Exchange(wallet, base_url="https://api.ironflow.sh/box/ibxs_...")
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The short version#
- Testnet faucet: needs a mainnet deposit from the same address, then pays 1,000 mock USDC.
- Paper box: $10,000 of simulated USDC for any address, on live mainnet books. No deposit.
- Same code: the official SDK with
base_urlset to the box andskip_ws=True.
The faucet rule#
From Hyperliquid's testnet faucet page: you need to have deposited on mainnet with the same address, and then you can get 1,000 mock USDC. An email login gets a different address on mainnet and testnet, so export the mainnet wallet and connect it to testnet in a wallet extension.
A paper box instead#
curl -X POST https://api.ironflow.sh/v1/ironboxThe answer has base_url, starting_balance_usd: 10000 and trial: true. Then, with pip install hyperliquid-python-sdk:
import hashlib
from eth_account import Account
from hyperliquid.exchange import Exchange
from hyperliquid.info import Info
BASE_URL = "https://api.ironflow.sh/box/ibxs_..." # base_url from the answer above
wallet = Account.from_key(hashlib.sha256(BASE_URL.encode()).digest()) # throwaway, same every run
info = Info(BASE_URL, skip_ws=True)
exchange = Exchange(wallet, base_url=BASE_URL)
print(exchange.market_open("BTC", True, 0.001))
print(info.user_state(wallet.address)["marginSummary"]["accountValue"])Our run on 12 November 2026:
{'status': 'ok', 'paper': True, 'response': {'data': {'statuses': [{'filled': {'totalSz': '0.001', 'avgPx': '71629.0', 'oid': 1}}]}, 'type': 'order'}}
9999.956766- The account value moved by the 0.045% taker fee and the spread. Funding and liquidation are simulated too.
- No key gives a trial box for 24 hours, or until 2 hours pass with no requests. A free key keeps up to 3.
- A full bot on top of this is in how to build a Hyperliquid trading bot.
Paper box or testnet#
| Paper box | Testnet | |
|---|---|---|
| Getting funds | $10,000 when the box is made. No deposit, no wallet funds, no key. | 1,000 mock USDC, only for an address that deposited on mainnet |
| Prices | Live mainnet order books and trades | Testnet's own books and traders |
| BTC depth, top 20 levels a side | About $11.7 million (the mainnet book) | About $15,500 |
| Markets | Main perps | Perps and spot |
| Margin | Cross | Cross and isolated |
| WebSocket | None | wss://api.hyperliquid-testnet.xyz/ws |
| Client | Official SDK, base_url set to the box | Official SDK, testnet URL |
Depth is the biggest difference for a strategy test: we read the BTC book on both on 12 November 2026, and mainnet held about 750 times more. Use testnet for spot, isolated margin, HIP-3 and WebSocket flows, which a box refuses.
Questions#
Do I need a mainnet deposit to use Hyperliquid testnet?#
For the faucet, yes. Hyperliquid's docs say the testnet faucet only pays addresses that have deposited on mainnet with the same address, and then gives 1,000 mock USDC.
How can I test on Hyperliquid without depositing?#
Use a paper box. curl -X POST https://api.ironflow.sh/v1/ironbox gives your own simulated account with $10,000 and live mainnet prices, with no key and no deposit. Set the official SDK's base_url to the box URL.
Why does the faucet reject my email login wallet?#
Hyperliquid's docs say an email login gets a different address on mainnet and testnet. Export the mainnet wallet, import it into a wallet extension and connect that to testnet.
Are paper box orders real?#
No. They fill against the live Hyperliquid order book inside the simulator and never reach Hyperliquid. The $10,000 is not real.
When should I still use testnet?#
For what a box does not do: spot, isolated margin, HIP-3 markets and WebSocket flows. For how a strategy behaves on real prices and depth, use a box.
Related guides#
- Hyperliquid paper trading: test a bot without risking funds
- How to build a Hyperliquid trading bot in Python
- Hyperliquid API endpoints: which one to use
References#
- Hyperliquid docs: Testnet faucet. The mainnet deposit rule and the 1,000 mock USDC.
- hyperliquid-dex/hyperliquid-python-sdk. The official SDK used above.
- Ironflow docs: Ironbox. Every paper box endpoint, limit and error.
No deposit, no signup. Start a paper box.
Free key14 days of history at 60 requests a minute. Without a key, the API reaches 24 hours back.
By requesting a key you agree to the Terms and API terms; see the Privacy Policy. We may email you when your key keeps hitting its limits; you can opt out at any time.