How to Set Up Staging Environments in ParadeDB

How do I set up a ParadeDB staging environment?

A ParadeDB staging environment is an isolated PostgreSQL database (or schema) clone used to safely test schema, data, and query changes before production.

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Description

Example H2

Example H3

What is a ParadeDB staging environment?

A staging environment in ParadeDB is a fully isolated clone of a production database that lets you run migrations, data loads, and performance tests without affecting live users.

Why create a staging environment?

Staging environments catch breaking changes early, enable automated CI/CD testing, and allow load-testing vector search queries built on pgvector indexes before promotion.

How do I create a staging environment?

Use ParadeDB’s helper command PARADE ENV CREATE or standard PostgreSQL CREATE DATABASE ... WITH TEMPLATE combined with pg_dump for partial clones.

Steps

1. Lock production writes.
2. Run SELECT parade.env_create('staging', source_env := 'prod');
3. Re-enable writes.
4. Point your CI pipeline at staging.

How do I refresh staging data?

Drop and recreate the environment, or use parade.env_refresh() to sync objects and top N rows in large tables like Orders.

Can I promote staging to production?

Yes—run SELECT parade.env_promote('staging', target_env := 'prod');. ParadeDB swaps connections and updates logical replication slots within a transaction for zero-downtime cut-over.

Best practices

Automate environment creation in CI, seed anonymized customer data, and tag vector indexes with unique names (idx_products_name_vec_staging) to avoid clashes.

Why How to Set Up Staging Environments in ParadeDB is important

How to Set Up Staging Environments in ParadeDB Example Usage


-- Test new vector search on staging
SELECT p.id, p.name, p.price
FROM   staging.public.products p
JOIN   LATERAL (SELECT 1) AS _ ON TRUE
WHERE  p.name_vec <#> to_vec('wireless earbuds') < 0.4
ORDER  BY p.name_vec <#> to_vec('wireless earbuds')
LIMIT  10;

How to Set Up Staging Environments in ParadeDB Syntax


-- Create a new staging environment from production
SELECT parade.env_create(
    env_name      := 'staging',          -- Name of the new environment
    source_env    := 'prod',             -- Environment to clone from
    include_data  := TRUE,               -- Copy all data (default)
    snapshot_time := NOW()               -- Optional point-in-time snapshot
);

-- Refresh the staging environment with latest production data
SELECT parade.env_refresh('staging');

-- Promote staging to production after tests pass
SELECT parade.env_promote(
    env_name   := 'staging',
    target_env := 'prod'
);

Common Mistakes

Mistake: Forgetting to lock production writes during the clone leads to inconsistent foreign-key relationships in staging. Fix: Enable maintenance mode or wrap <code>parade.env_create()</code> in a short exclusive lock.
Mistake: Promoting staging without re-indexing pgvector columns causes degraded ANN search. Fix: Run <code>REINDEX INDEX CONCURRENTLY</code> on vector indexes after promotion.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Is ParadeDB required, or can I do this in vanilla PostgreSQL?

You can clone with CREATE DATABASE ... WITH TEMPLATE, but ParadeDB automates snapshot consistency, logical replication setup, and zero-downtime promotion.