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A side-by-side comparison of two server racks, labeled "Test Environment" on the left and "Production Environment" on the right. Both setups feature screens displaying code and system analytics, connected by a double-headed arrow to symbolize synchronization. The image illustrates the concept of maintaining a test environment identical to production for consistent software behavior. Bright orange and blue labels clearly differentiate the environments.

Why Your Test Environment Must be Identical to Production

If you don’t want to hear “It works in TEST but not in PRODUCTION”, make sure that your Test environment is identical to your Production environment. I have worked at several companies where this scenario happened more than once: 

  • A new feature is built
  • It is fully tested in a non-production environment
  • It is deployed to Production
  • A serious bug is discovered
  • Everyone goes into a tail-spin trying to figure out why it worked in Test but not in Production

Non-identical Test and Production Environments Produce Unpredictable Results

There are many parts that go into building and configuring a software environment where a product can be deployed and run. Although not an exhaustive list, some components are: configuration files, security vaults, database connection strings, api connection strings, constant values, media files, DNS configurations, network configurations, security configurations, etc. Typically, the more complex the software, the more complex the environment setup and configuration.

In addition, there could be several environments, which are part of the software development life cycle. Smaller software companies may be able to get by with just two environments: Test and Production. However, in larger companies it is not uncommon to have more, such as: Development, Test, UAT, Production.

The challenge becomes when the same software code must perform the same way across all of the environments, which are part of the SDLC. In order for that to happen, the Test and Production environments have to be identical, or nearly identical. Otherwise, when the same functionality is tested across the development cycle and across different environments, the results will not be identical. This can lead to unpredictable results in terms of the software behavior as changes move their way into Production and into the hands of real users and customers.

Can you imagine the stress level incurred on a team, which deployed functionality to Production but does not know exactly what to expect? Many headaches and costs can be saved by ensuring that Test and Production environments are built in an identical fashion.

What Does “Identical” Test and Production Environments Mean?

Ensuring your Test environment identical to Production is important for reliable software deployment. But what exactly does it mean for these environments to be identical? Here are the main aspects to consider:

  • Exact Same Components: Both environments should have the same software components, including operating systems, middleware, and application versions. This consistency eliminates discrepancies that could cause functionality to behave differently in production.
  • Configuration Files: All configuration settings must mirror each other. This includes environment variables, feature flags, and any other settings that dictate how the application runs.
  • Infrastructure Setup: The underlying infrastructure, such as servers, containers, and networking setups, should be replicated to ensure that performance and behavior remain consistent.
  • Dependencies and Libraries: Ensure that all third-party libraries and dependencies are the same versions across both environments. Even minor version differences can lead to unexpected issues.
  • Data Structures: While the actual data may differ, the structure and schema of databases should be identical. This ensures that queries and data manipulations behave the same way in both environments.
  • Security Configurations: While sensitive information like PII data and credentials should not be identical, the security configurations—such as firewall settings, access controls, and encryption standards—should match to replicate the production security posture.
  • API Integrations: All external and internal API connections should be configured similarly, ensuring that integrations perform consistently during testing and in production.
  • Constant Values and Media Files: Any constants or media assets used by the application should be the same in both environments to prevent discrepancies in application behavior or appearance.

 

When you align these components, you create a test environment identical to production that can reliably mimic real-world conditions. This alignment minimizes the risk of unexpected bugs and increases the likelihood that what works in Test will perform the same way in Production.

An identical setup enhances the accuracy of your tests and will also boost confidence in your deployment processes.

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How to Build “Identical” Test and Production Environments?

Creating a Test environment identical to Production can go a long way in ensuring that your software behaves consistently across all stages of deployment. Achieving this level of consistency requires a strategic approach and the implementation of best practices. Here’s how you can build identical Test and Production environments:

  • Automate Environment Creation and Deployment: Utilize automation tools to replicate your production environment accurately. Tools like Terraform, Ansible, or Kubernetes can script the setup of infrastructure components, ensuring that every aspect of your test environment matches production. Automation minimizes human error, accelerates the provisioning process, and ensures that updates are consistently applied across environments.
  • Implement Infrastructure as Code (IaC): Define your infrastructure using code to maintain version control and reproducibility. With IaC tools such as Terraform or CloudFormation, you can create, manage, and update your infrastructure in a consistent and repeatable manner. This approach will help ensure that both Test and Production environments evolve together, maintaining their identical configurations over time.
  • Leverage Containerization and Virtualization: Use containerization platforms like Docker or orchestration tools like Kubernetes to create isolated and consistent environments. Containers encapsulate your application and its dependencies, ensuring that it runs the same way in both test and production. Virtual machines can also replicate the production hardware and network configurations, providing a reliable testing ground that mirrors the live environment.
  • Establish Robust Configuration Management: Consistently manage configuration files and environment variables using tools like Chef, Puppet, or SaltStack. These tools automate the deployment and maintenance of configurations, ensuring that settings such as database connection strings, API endpoints, and feature flags are identical across both environments. Proper configuration management prevents discrepancies that could lead to unexpected behavior in production.
  • Use Version Control for All Environment Components: Store all environment configurations, scripts, and infrastructure definitions in a version control system like Git. This practice ensures that any changes to the production environment are tracked and can be replicated in the test environment. Version control provides a single source of truth, making it easier to maintain parity between environments.
  • Create Automated Environment Provisioning Processes: Develop scripts or use automation platforms to provision and tear down environments on demand. This flexibility allows you to create a Test environment identical to Production whenever needed, enabling rapid testing of new features or configurations. Automated provisioning also supports efficient resource management by removing environments when they are no longer required.
  • Facilitate Disaster Recovery Through Automation: An automated approach to environment creation and provisioning can bring an additional benefit: disaster recovery capabilities. By being able to recreate your Production environment on the fly, you reduce downtime and ensure business continuity in the event of a failure. The alternative in a disaster situation is to constantly maintain a dormant DR environment, which could be a complex and expensive task.


Conclusion

When you ensure that your Test environment is identical to Production you create a strategic imperative for your software development team. When every component, configuration, and dependency, is aligned you significantly decrease the unpredictability that often plagues deployments. You minimize the risk of encountering unforeseen bugs and ensure that what works well in testing will also perform reliably in the live environment.

Implementing best practices such as automation, Infrastructure as Code (IaC), containerization, and robust configuration management are steps that can help you achieve this type of parity. These tools can help streamline the provisioning and maintenance of environments, and also enhance your team’s ability to respond quickly to changes and recover from potential disasters.

Ultimately, an identical Test environment identical to Production can build greater confidence in your deployment processes, reduce stress within your team, and lead to more stable and dependable software releases. Investing the effort to create and maintain such environments will pay dividends in the form of reduced downtime, lower costs associated with bug fixes, and improved satisfaction for both your development team and your end-users.