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What are Environments (Stages)?

Environments (also called "Stages") are separate instances of your application running on servers. Learn how they work and what you use them for.

What is an Environment?​

An environment is a complete, running instance of your application. Each environment has:

  • Own server resources - CPU, memory, network
  • Own database - Separate data for each environment
  • Own URL - Own web address
  • Own configuration - Individual settings

Why Multiple Environments?​

Different environments help you safely develop and test your application:

Production​

  • Purpose: Your live application for real users
  • Usage: The final version that your customers use
  • Important: Must always be stable and available

Staging​

  • Purpose: Test environment similar to Production
  • Usage: Test changes before going live
  • Advantage: Find problems before they occur in Production

Typical Environment Structure​

Most projects have this structure:

Project: "My Web Application"
├── Production (Live version)
└── Staging (Test before go-live)

Environment Status​

Each environment has a status:

Running​

  • 🟢 Green - The environment is running and accessible
  • Your application is available
  • Users can access it

Stopped​

  • 🟡 Yellow - The environment is being created or updated
  • Wait until the process is complete
  • This may take a few minutes

Error / Starting​

  • 🔴 Red - There is a problem
  • The environment is not working correctly or is in starting process
  • Check the logs for details

Environments in OPaaS​

In OPaaS, you'll see all environments:

  • In the sidebar - List of all project environments
  • With status indicators - Colored dots show the status
  • Clickable - Click on an environment to open it

Differences Between Environments​

Data​

  • Each environment has separate data
  • Changes in Staging don't affect Production
  • Important: Always test in Staging before Production

Configuration​

  • Each environment can have different settings
  • Example: Staging uses test data, Production uses real data
tip

Document the differences

Resources​

  • Environments can have different resources
  • Production usually has more CPU and memory
  • Staging can have fewer resources

Best Practices​

Environment Names​

  • ✅ Use clear names: main, uat-date
  • ✅ Avoid confusing names like test1, test2
  • ✅ Use a consistent naming scheme

Environment Structure​

  • ✅ Start with one environment (usually Production)
  • ✅ Add Staging when you need testing

Data Management​

  • ✅ Always test in Staging before Production
  • ✅ Create regular backups (daily by system default)
  • ✅ Separate test data from real data

Resources Management​

  • ✅ Plan resources according to usage
  • ✅ Production needs more resources than Staging
  • ✅ Monitor resource usage

Next Steps​

Now that you understand what environments are:

  1. Create environments - Create your first environment
  2. Manage environments - Learn how to control environments
  3. Environment settings - Configure your environments
tip

Start with one environment and add more when you need them. You can always create new environments later!