Hey everyone! I'm building an anime tracking website and it's coming along, but I'm not sure about the database setup. Should I have three separate databases: one for my use, one for contributors, and one for the actual live site? I feel like using real user data for development isn't ethical. Also, am I missing any key aspects of running a community project?
1 Answer
It’s definitely a good idea to have a separate database for production versus development. If you're hosting the site on your own server or a VPS, you'll want a production database that only handles live data. For local development, each contributor can set up their own database. Make sure to provide clear instructions on how to do that! For testing or staging, it's also useful to have a separate database to work with where you can experiment without affecting the live site. Having distinct databases can save you from big headaches if something goes wrong! It's also possible to have all your environments supported by a single database with different schemas, but these days having separate ones is easier and more flexible.
I didn't think of everyone setting up their own database. Thanks for that tip!