Clone Environment

Cloning Environment

Environment cloning creates a complete copy of an existing project in only a few steps. It is useful for development, testing, staging, upgrades, and other tasks that should not affect the original production environment.

For larger projects, separate copies are commonly used for development, testing, and production stages.

DevelopmentUsed to create and modify features.
TestingUsed to identify and analyse possible issues.
ProductionThe current application version provided to end users.
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Cloning Considerations

  • Stateless layers are recreated from the relevant base image.
  • Stateful layers are copied from the master container.
  • A short source-container freeze may occur while memory state is transferred.
  • Windows-based containers are temporarily stopped during cloning.
  • Galera database environments may experience a brief interruption while data consistency is maintained.

How to Clone an Environment

1Start cloning

Locate the required environment and click Clone Environment.

Clone Environment button
Start cloning from the environment actions.

2Confirm the name

Enter a name for the copied environment, or retain the suggested name, and click Clone.

Clone environment confirmation
Provide the clone name and confirm the operation.

3Wait for completion

The platform duplicates the environment and makes the new copy available after the operation finishes.

After Cloning

Configuration review: The clone receives new IP addresses and hostnames. Any hardcoded values must be updated manually.
  • For environments containing more than 1 TB of data, contact the hosting provider if assistance is required.
  • A shared environment can be cloned only by its owner.
  • The copied environment is not automatically shared with existing collaborators.
Production and development environment clones
Use separate copies to test changes without affecting production.

The clone can be reconfigured, upgraded, or used for application and topology changes independently of the original environment.

Common Use Cases

  • Rename the environment and change its internal domain.
  • Swap domains to redirect users to an upgraded project.
  • Implement blue-green deployment for low-downtime updates.
Blue-green deployment scheme
Blue-green deployment switches traffic between two application versions.
  • Run A/B testing to compare application variants.
A/B testing scheme
A/B testing compares two application versions.
  • Provide advanced failover protection.
Failover protection scheme
A clone can form part of a failover strategy.
  • Use one dedicated storage container for data from several environments.
  • Create a full environment snapshot.
  • Synchronise production data with a testing or staging clone.

What’s next?

  • Setting Up Environment
  • Share Environment
  • Deployment Guide
  • Application Lifecycle Management