I'm wondering how teams review pull requests that involve backend logic or database changes. Do you have a live preview environment for each PR, or do you just push to staging and hope everything works out? What tools and strategies are people using these days?
3 Answers
Each of our dev teams has their own environment where they deploy whatever branch they’re working on. If needed, we can manage two environments per team when necessary. It's a solid way to ensure everyone has a separate area to test without interfering with each other.
I usually rely on CI checks along with automated tests for backend and database changes. I focus on reviewing the migration logic extensively. A temporary preview environment for each PR is the most effective method for testing without jeopardizing the staging environment.
Totally agree! Automating tests can save so much hassle.
We typically set up a temporary preview environment linked to the PR. This includes a slimmed-down database snapshot, which helps catch issues before they hit staging. The only downside is keeping an eye on resource costs to avoid ending up with a mess of unused environments. It’s all about balancing efficiency with cleanup.
Nice! Are you using any specific tool for creating those environments, or is it all custom-built?
Deploying the PR branch into the dev environment sounds like the classic approach. Have you explored any ephemeral environment solutions?