Test Changes in Non-Production Environments First
Always test changes in a non-production environment before applying them to production.
This is the single most effective way to prevent production incidents and ensure smooth operations of your CircleCI Server.
Why This Matters
Making changes directly in production is risky:
- Untested changes can cause unexpected downtime
- Configuration errors may break running pipelines
- Version incompatibilities might not be immediately obvious
- Rollback procedures become high-pressure emergencies
A non-production environment lets you fail safely and learn without impacting your users.
Set Up a Non-Production Environment
Your non-production environment should mirror production as closely as possible:
- Same version of CircleCI Server
- Similar infrastructure (Kubernetes cluster, storage, networking)
- Representative configuration (runner types, resource classes, integrations)
- Test pipelines that exercise key features
It doesn't need to be as large as production, but it should be functionally equivalent.
Testing Workflow
- Apply change in non-production
- Validate functionality - Run test pipelines, check logs, verify integrations
- Monitor for issues - Watch for errors, performance degradation, or unexpected behavior
- Document results - Note any issues and how you resolved them
- Apply to production - With confidence and a proven process
- Keep both environments updated - Non-production is only useful if it stays current
When You Contact Support For Assistance
If you encounter issues in production, support will ask:
- "Was this tested in a non-production environment first?"
- "What were the results of your testing?"
Having tested changes in advance significantly speeds up troubleshooting and resolution.
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