Test changes safely before applying them to your live store.
A staging environment is an exact copy of your live store where you can:
- Test plugin and theme updates
- Experiment with design changes
- Try new features without risk
- Debug issues without affecting customers
| Feature |
Production |
Staging |
| URL |
yourdomain.com |
staging-X.yourdomain.shophosting.io |
| Visitors |
Public |
Password-protected |
| Email |
Sends to real addresses |
Trapped/disabled |
| Payments |
Processes real charges |
Test mode only |
| Search engines |
Indexed |
Blocked (noindex/nofollow) |
| Data |
Live customer data |
Copy from production |
- Go to Dashboard → Staging
- Click Create Staging Copy
- Wait for cloning to complete (typically 2-5 minutes)
- All files (themes, plugins, uploads)
- Full database (products, orders, customers, settings)
- Current configuration
You can have up to 3 staging environments at a time. Delete old ones to create new ones.
After creation, you'll see:
- Staging URL - The address of your staging site
- Admin URL - Direct link to staging admin panel
- Password - Auto-generated password protecting the staging site
Your staging site is password-protected from public access:
- Visit the staging URL
- Enter the staging password (shown in your dashboard)
- Then log in to WordPress/Magento admin as usual
Your WordPress/Magento credentials are the same as production.
Do anything you want in staging - it won't affect production:
- Update WordPress/Magento core
- Install and test new plugins
- Change themes
- Modify settings
- Delete test data
Staging environments use test payment modes:
Stripe Test Cards:
- Success:
4242 4242 4242 4242
- Decline:
4000 0000 0000 0002
- Requires auth:
4000 0025 0000 3155
Use any future expiry date and any 3-digit CVC.
Emails from staging are not sent to real addresses. This prevents:
- Customers receiving confusing test emails
- Duplicate order notifications
- Accidental marketing sends
To view trapped emails, check the email log in staging admin.
When you're happy with changes in staging:
- Create a production backup first (Dashboard → Backups → Create Backup Now)
- Go to Dashboard → Staging
- Select your staging environment
- Click Push to Production
- Choose what to push:
- Files only - Theme/plugin changes
- Database only - Settings/content changes
- Everything - Complete replacement
- Confirm the push
Warning: Pushing database changes will overwrite production data including recent orders. Push files-only if possible.
To get the latest production data into staging:
- Go to Dashboard → Staging
- Select your staging environment
- Click Refresh from Production
- Confirm the refresh
This replaces all staging data with current production data.
Each staging environment is numbered (staging-1, staging-2, staging-3). You can add notes to remember what each is for:
- Click the edit icon next to a staging environment
- Add a description like "Testing new checkout flow"
- Go to Dashboard → Staging
- Click Delete next to the staging environment
- Confirm deletion
Deleted staging environments cannot be recovered.
- Create staging copy
- Make and test changes
- Create production backup
- Push changes to production
- Delete staging if no longer needed
- Updates: Test WordPress/Magento updates here first
- New Plugins: Install and verify compatibility
- Design Changes: Preview before going live
- Debugging: Reproduce issues safely
- Urgent security patches: Apply these directly to production
- Minor content edits: Make these directly in production
- Check if you already have 3 staging environments (max limit)
- Ensure your production store is in "active" status
- Try again - temporary issues may have occurred
- Some plugins detect staging and change behavior
- License keys may need activation for staging
- External API integrations may need staging credentials
This shouldn't happen if staging is properly configured. Contact support immediately if you experience this.