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Ask HN: Does Git replace standard development/staging/production web dev setup?

5 points by newgit ↗ HN
Typically, web development shops use a development server, staging server and live production server. Does Git replace the need for a staging server?

Most of out website are small and we would like to replace the staging server if possible. What are your experiences with Git?

2 comments

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aonic
Depends, do you have multiple developers working on features at the same time?

In a team environment, the purpose of the staging server is so your business and QA team can test, review, and give feedback for the final changes before they go to production. The development servers should ideally be specific to each developer to develop their tickets and features without having to worry about breaking others changes. The staging environment is where all the developers' work can be tested all together.

qjz
Git manages code. How you choose to deploy your code is a completely separate matter.

If the purpose of your staging server is to provide a final test in a close replica of your production environment, git doesn't address this need. While git may make rollbacks a little easier, you still risk exposing embarrassing errors or losing data integrity without a staging server.

If you really need to get rid of the staging server, roll out VMs to your devs that safely duplicate your production environment. This gives you finer control and reproducible/disposable environments.