A staging instance can be used to test modifications before they are applied to your actual GitHub Enterprise instance. For example, you could use a staging instance to test new GitHub Enterprise updates or to practice importing migration data.
Tip: You may reuse your existing GitHub Enterprise license file so long as the staging instance is not used for production.
To thoroughly test a GitHub Enterprise appliance you will need to consider external systems that interact with it. Some factors to consider testing are:
- Authentication, especially if are using an external authentication provider
- Integration with an external ticketing system
- Integration with a continuous integration server
- External scripts or software that use the GitHub API
- External SMTP server for email notifications
- Perform a backup of your production instance using GitHub Enterprise Backup Utilities. For more information, see the "About GitHub Enterprise Backup Utilities" section of "Configuring backups on your appliance."
- Set up a new instance to act as your staging environment. You can use the same guides for provisioning and installing your staging instance as you did for your production instance. For more information, see "Setting up a GitHub Enterprise instance."
- Restore your backup onto your staging instance. For more information, see the "Restoring a backup" section of "Configuring backups on your appliance."
