> ## Knowledge Base Index
> Fetch the complete knowledge base index at: https://help.faaaster.io/sitemap.xml
> Use this file to discover available pages before exploring further.
> Pure-Markdown content can be obtained by appending a '.md' suffix to the content URLs listed in the sitemap (without the trailing slash).

# How do I create a test environment on Faaaster?

The site's **Environments** tab lists your environments and lets you create one with **Create an environment**. The **live** environment, marked **Production**, is the one your visitors see.

## Create an environment

1. Open the site, **Environments** tab.
2. Click **Create an environment**.

![The Environments tab: the live environment marked Production, and the Create an environment button.](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/9/d/2/d/9d2d3e0b7134b800/act-environnements-en_12rsi7b.png)

An **Active** counter shows how many environments are running. Each row shows the environment's address, and the **Open** button opens its page in Faaaster.

## How many can I create?

The number of environments depends on your plan:

- **Dev** — 2 development branches
- **Perso**, **Pro**, **Business** — 3 development branches

## What an environment contains

Each environment is an isolated copy of the site, with **its own resources**, its own address and its own database. It stays **private** — not accessible to the public — and can be changed without touching production.

Creating one is **free**.

## Push changes to production

This is the key step when you work with environments, and it goes through **backups**.

1. Open the **working environment** — not production.
2. Go to its **Backups** tab.
3. On the backup you want to push, click **Push to branch**.
4. In the **Push to branch** window, **Select branch** field, choose **live**.
5. Choose the **Perimeter**:
   - **Files and database** — the full push;
   - **Database only** — to push only content;
   - **Files only** — to push only code, while keeping what has been published in production in the meantime.
6. Leave **Back up the current state before restoring (recommended)** checked, then click **Validate**.

> ⚠️ **The target branch is overwritten.** The interface says so plainly: "Target branch will be overwritten, please backup it first to prevent any data loss."
>
> That's why the **perimeter** matters so much. If your site received orders or posts while you were working on the environment, pushing "Files and database" erases them. In that case, push only the **files**.

The same mechanism works in every direction: from one environment to another, or from production to an environment to start over from a fresh copy.

## Automatic pausing

> ⚠️ **An unused environment doesn't live forever.** Without activity, it is **paused after 5 days**, then **archived after 30 days**.

An archived environment can be found in the **Trash** tab of the **Environments** section, and can be restarted with **Reactivate**.

> **Opening the site's page in Faaaster counts as activity**, as does visiting the preview link. Visitor traffic on the environment, however, does not count.

## Environment statuses

**Ready**, **Creation in progress**, **Operation in progress**, **Paused**, **Error**, **Archived**.

👉 [How do I back up and restore a site?](https://help.faaaster.io/en-us/article/backups-1j7rzgw/) · [How do I share my site before it goes live?](https://help.faaaster.io/en-us/article/share-your-site-before-launch-516izi/)