App Environments: Prod/Staging/Dev/Multi-tenant

Create and manage unlimited staging, testing, and production environments for your Sherpa.sh applications with branch-based deployments and environment-specific configurations.

Overview

When you import a project to Sherpa.sh, a default Production environment is automatically created from your repository’s default branch (typically main or master). You can create unlimited additional environments on any paid plan, each with its own configuration, environment variables, and deployment settings.

Key Benefits

• Unlimited Environments: Unlike other platforms that charge per environment, Sherpa.sh includes unlimited environments on all paid plans
• Branch-Based Deployments: Each environment deploys from a specific branch in your repository
• Isolated Configurations: Each environment maintains its own environment variables and settings
• Automatic Deployments: Configure automatic deployments on commits or pull requests
• Custom Domains: Each environment gets a unique subdomain on sherpa.software plus support for custom domains

Creating a New Environment

Follow these steps to create additional environments for your application:

Step 1: Navigate to Applications Page

From your application dashboard, click the “New Environment” button on the Applications page.

Step 2: Configure Environment Settings

Name your environment and select the branch you want to deploy from:

• Environment Name: Choose a descriptive name (e.g., staging, testing, development)
• Source Branch: Select the Git branch this environment will track and deploy from

Step 3: Add Environment Variables

Configure environment-specific variables for your new environment:

Step 4: Deploy

Your environment is now ready to deploy! Click “Start New Deployment” to trigger your first deployment.

Multi-Tenancy Configuration

🏢 Multi-Tenancy Use Case: Deploy multiple isolated instances of your application for different clients using environment-specific configurations.

Sherpa.sh’s unlimited environments make it ideal for multi-tenant applications. Create separate production environments for each tenant with isolated configurations:

Example: Multi-Tenant SaaS Setup

Each tenant environment:

• Deploys from the same codebase ( main branch)
• Maintains completely isolated data and configurations for each customer (customer-1, customer-2, customer-3)
• Can have custom domains (customer1.yourapp.com, customer2.yourapp.com, customer3.yourapp.com)
• Updates simultaneously when you push to main

Common Environment Patterns

Standard Development Workflow

main branch → Production Environment
develop branch → Staging Environment
feature/* branches → Development/Testing Environments

GitFlow Pattern

main branch → Production
release/* branches → Staging
develop branch → Development
hotfix/* branches → Hotfix Environment

Best Practices

1. Environment Naming: Use clear, consistent naming conventions (production, staging, testing, dev-john)
2. Variable Management: Never commit sensitive environment variables to your repository. Use Sherpa.sh’s environment variable interface.
3. Branch Protection: Set up branch protection rules in your Git provider to prevent accidental pushes to production branches.
4. Testing Pipeline: Create a testing environment that automatically deploys pull requests for QA review.
5. Rollback Strategy: Keep staging environments on the same deployment schedule as production for accurate testing.