b2c-sandbox

name	b2c-sandbox
description	Create and manage on-demand sandboxes (ODS) for B2C Commerce using the b2c CLI. Use this skill whenever the user needs to spin up a new development sandbox, list running sandboxes, start/stop/restart an instance, or manage sandbox lifecycle — even if they just say "I need a sandbox" or "restart my instance".

B2C Sandbox Skill

Only create or delete sandboxes when explicitly requested. Always confirm destructive actions.

Use the b2c CLI plugin to manage Salesforce B2C Commerce On-demand sandboxes (ODS). Only create or delete a sandbox if explicitly asked as this may be a billable or destructible action.

Tip: If b2c is not installed globally, use npx @salesforce/b2c-cli instead (e.g., npx @salesforce/b2c-cli sandbox list).

Alias: The ods prefix is still supported as a backward-compatible alias (e.g., b2c ods list works the same as b2c sandbox list).

Configuration & Authentication

The CLI auto-discovers credentials from SFCC_* environment variables, dw.json in the current or parent directories, ~/.mobify, package.json, and configuration plugins. Flags like --client-id and --client-secret are usually unnecessary — only pass them to override what's auto-detected. Use --user-auth only when you need browser-based login (e.g., no client secret, or interactive use).

Run b2c setup inspect to see the resolved configuration and which source provided each value (use --json for scripting, --unmask to reveal secrets). For precedence rules and troubleshooting, see the b2c-cli:b2c-config skill.

Sandbox ID Formats

Commands that operate on a specific sandbox accept two ID formats:

• UUID: The full sandbox UUID (e.g., abc12345-1234-1234-1234-abc123456789)
• Realm-instance: The realm-instance format (e.g., zzzv-123 or zzzv_123)

The realm-instance format uses the 4-character realm code followed by a dash or underscore and the instance number. When using a realm-instance format, the CLI will automatically look up the corresponding UUID.

Examples

List Sandboxes

b2c sandbox list

# for realm zzpq with JSON output
b2c sandbox list --realm zzpq --json

# filter by status and those created by a specific user, only print the columns id,state,hostname
b2c sandbox list --filter-params 'state=started,creating&createdBy=[e-mail]' --realm zzpq --columns id,state,hostname

Create Sandbox

Only create a sandbox if explicitly asked as this may be a billable action.

# create in realm zzpq with 4 hour TTL (0 = infinite); json output and wait for completion (this may take 5-10 minutes; timeout is 10 minutes)
b2c sandbox create --realm zzpq --ttl 4 --json --wait

# create in realm zzpq with large profile (medium is default)
b2c sandbox create --realm zzpq --profile large

# create without automatic OCAPI/WebDAV permissions
b2c sandbox create --realm zzpq --no-set-permissions

# use a different client ID for default permissions
b2c sandbox create --realm zzpq --permissions-client-id my-other-client

# custom OCAPI settings (replaces defaults)
b2c sandbox create --realm zzpq --ocapi-settings '[{"client_id":"my-client","resources":[{"resource_id":"/code_versions","methods":["get"]}]}]'

# with start/stop scheduler
b2c sandbox create --realm zzpq --start-scheduler '{"weekdays":["MONDAY","TUESDAY"],"time":"08:00:00Z"}' --stop-scheduler '{"weekdays":["MONDAY","TUESDAY"],"time":"19:00:00Z"}'

# get full log trace output to debug
b2c sandbox create --realm zzpq --log-level trace

Get/Start/Stop/Restart/Delete Sandbox

Commands that operate on a specific sandbox support both UUID and realm-instance formats:

# Using UUID
b2c sandbox get abc12345-1234-1234-1234-abc123456789
b2c sandbox start abc12345-1234-1234-1234-abc123456789
b2c sandbox stop abc12345-1234-1234-1234-abc123456789

# Using realm-instance format
b2c sandbox get zzzv-123
b2c sandbox start zzzv_123
b2c sandbox stop zzzv-123
b2c sandbox restart zzzv-123
b2c sandbox delete zzzv-123 --force

More Commands

See b2c sandbox --help for a full list of available commands and options in the sandbox topic.