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Business

Setting up a build enviroment

I've been working in web project management for a long time but I'm new to the development process. A lot of places I've worked have a build environment that exists online but not on the clients actual domain. How do I set up a test environment where I can build out websites and get client approval before pushing them live to the clients domain? Is it just a matter of setting up a sub-domain for each build on my own website?

4 Answers

Greg Kaleka
Greg Kaleka
39,021 Points

Subdomains are one way to do it, for sure. Sub folders are another (easier?) way. You simply put projects in folders within your website. For example, my site www.gregkaleka.com has a folder tahoe-example, which you can only get to by typing it in. I can link people to www.gregkaleka.com/tahoe-example, and they'll see that page.

Kevin Korte
Kevin Korte
28,149 Points

Here has been my experience. Usually the developing person(s) or company will have a server they can upload to. This is all pretty straight forward as you can point your client to the domain and they can see their website. You can also use a robots.txt file to keep legitimate search engines from indexing the site, which at this stage you would not what them doing that. Whether you use folders or subdomains kinda depends on the end result. Are you going to host the website for them too? Are you going to install the website onto a hosting account they already have or are going to purchase, or are you just going to turn the files over to them?

If you're planning to move the website from its developing server to a different server, than a subfolder would be okay I think. However, if you're also going to be hosting, it wouldn't work as well because you would still have to move it. If it is on a temp domain that is also a subdomain, than once it's ready to go live, you have the DNS servers for the domain pointed to that website, and soon enough the DNS servers will all propagate and direct incoming traffic to that site that was on a subdomain. No moving of the website necessary.

The latter part is what I've experienced most. Sites being built on temp sub domains and than DNS servers getting rerouted when you want it to go live.

Merritt Lawrenson
Merritt Lawrenson
13,477 Points

You can also try a cloud development platform like Could9 or Nitrous.io that hosts your workspace in the cloud and allows you to share access with clients.

Kevin Korte
Kevin Korte
28,149 Points

Since I wrote my response two weeks ago I have since started using cloud9 to work on a RoR application and decided to use an IDE since I would be developing on a Mac and Windows depending on location, and I must say this is a fantastic idea and tool. And add to that the preview is a public URL that could be shared with a client, I highly recommend your idea Merritt.

Rad! Thanks!