#### Step 1: Determine the desired environment
The first step to request an access token is to determine the environment where you want to use the API.
The following table describes the different environments that provide Ripple Payments Direct API access. Take note of the environment string for the environment you want to access.
| **Environment** | **Request URL** | **Environment String** | **Currency** |
|  --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **Test** | `https://auth-test.rnc.ripplenet.com/oauth/token` | `test` | Simulated |
| **Production** | `https://auth.rnc.ripplenet.com/oauth/token` | `prod` | Actual |