IT Glossary for Recruiters

What is Staging?

Staging is a copy of the production where developers test changes before they go live. It’s like a practice run for your software. The goal of staging is to catch any issues before they affect real users.Staging lets you test your application in a setting that looks and behaves like the real production. This helps developers catch bugs, performance issues, and security flaws before they reach end users. It's an essential step to make sure everything works as expected.

How Staging works

  • Development and Code Changes: Developers write code and make updates to the software. These changes may include new features, bug fixes, or performance improvements.

  • Code is Pushed to a Staging Environment: After developers complete the changes, they push the code to the staging environment. This environment is a duplicate of the production environment where the software will eventually run. It mimics everything from the database to server configurations.

  • Testing in Staging: Once the code is in the staging environment, the development and testing teams begin to run tests. These tests check for:● Functionality ● Performance● Security● Compatibility● Integration

  • Bug Fixes and Improvements: If bugs or issues are found during testing, developers fix them and push updated code back into the staging environment. This process continues until the software is free of critical issues.

  • User Acceptance Testing (UAT): Sometimes, a final round of testing is done by a small group of users (often from the product or business team). They ensure the software meets business requirements and is ready for release.

  • Preparing for Production: Once the software has been thoroughly tested and is deemed stable, it’s prepared for deployment to the production environment, where real users will access it.

  • Push to Production: Finally, after successful tests in staging, the code is deployed to production, making it available to end users.

Key features of Staging


Realistic Environment: Staging closely matches the production setup, so any issues that could arise in production can be spotted early. Safe Testing: Since staging is a non-public environment, any issues won’t affect users.Consistency: It ensures that the software behaves consistently when deployed to production

Staging vs Production Environment

The production environment is where your users interact with your software. It’s live, and any issues here can affect real customers.

The staging environment is a replica of production but only used for testing. It allows you to make sure all features are working correctly without impacting real users. The main difference is that staging is not visible to the public, while production is.

Staging and DevOps

In DevOps, staging is a key step in the deployment pipeline. It helps ensure continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD). Staging allows teams to test changes in a safe environment before pushing them to production. This makes releases trouble-free and less risky.

Tools for Staging

Docker: Helps create consistent staging environments using containers. Kubernetes: Manages containerized applications in staging and production. Cloud Services: Platforms like AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud can provide scalable staging environments.

Benefits of Staging

    Catch Bugs Early: Staging helps to find bugs before they reach production.
    Safe Testing: You can test new features or fixes without affecting users.
    Realistic Conditions: Staging simulates real user conditions, so you can spot issues that might arise in production.
    Test Security: It allows you to test security measures in a safe space.

Drawbacks of Staging

    Cost: Setting up and maintaining a staging environment can be costly.
    Maintenance: Staging environments need to be updated regularly to match production.
    Time and Resources: Managing staging requires additional time and resources.

Common issues in Staging

Synchronization Problems: Sometimes staging doesn’t fully match production, leading to false test results.Incomplete Features: If features aren’t fully integrated, they can fail during staging tests.Unexpected Errors: Errors in staging can still occur, especially if the environment isn't updated regularly.

Best practices for Staging

Replicate Production

Your staging environment should closely match the production environment. This ensures the tests are realistic.

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Synchronize Regularly

Keep the staging and production environments as similar as possible. Update the staging environment when changes are made in production.

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Involve Both Teams

 Developers and operations teams should both be involved in staging. This helps catch issues from both perspectives.