# PHP hosting with staging environments Source: https://www.fortrabbit.com/php-hosting/with-staging-environments Published: 2026-10-01 Reviewed: 2026-10-01 > Production and staging as separate environments of one fortrabbit app. Each maps to a Git branch, books its own components and has its own HTTPS test domain, from €2.50 a month. fortrabbit is managed PHP hosting with staging environments built into the model: an app holds any number of environments, and each one is a complete, isolated hosting setup with its own PHP runtime, storage, MySQL, environment variables, SSH login and HTTPS test domain. Connected to GitHub, each environment maps to a branch, so a push to `staging` deploys staging and a push to `main` deploys production. Components are booked per environment and billed by the day, which lets staging run on the smallest sizes at €2.50 a month while production is sized for its traffic. Environments are stateful: uploads, sessions and the database belong to the environment and survive deployments, so production data reaches staging only when somebody syncs it down, with mysqldump and rsync over SSH. The API and the MCP server create a new environment as a copy of an existing one, components and settings included. Every new app starts with a seven-day trial without a credit card. ## One app, a production and a staging environment ```raw app: client-site ├── main ← production PHP MD · MySQL LG · 6 backups ├── staging ← staging PHP XS · MySQL XS · 1 backup └── redesign ← temporary PHP XS · MySQL XS · 1 backup ``` Each line is a branch and an environment. Services run separated, so a load test on staging does not slow production, and a broken deploy on `redesign` leaves `main` serving. The [staging environments feature page](/features/staging-environments) describes the isolation in more detail. ## What stays separate per environment - Components and their sizes, billed per environment - Environment variables, PHP version and PHP settings - Files, uploads, sessions and the database - Domains, certificates and the [test domain](/features/test-domain) - Deployment settings: branch, build commands, strategy ## Runtime data is the hard part A content editor publishes on production while a developer tests on staging with last month's database. That gap exists on every platform with stateful environments. The [staging guide](https://docs.fortrabbit.com/dev/learn/staging-environments) covers the usual set-ups and how to sync a database down. Most frameworks read the stage from an environment variable, which each environment sets on its own. ## FAQ ### What does a staging environment cost? **From €2.50 a month** — Staging books its own components and can run on the smallest sizes: PHP XS, 512 MiB storage, 32 GiB traffic and one daily backup come to €2.50 a month, €3.50 with the smallest MySQL plan. Billing is by the day, so a temporary environment for a two-week redesign costs two weeks. ### How does a change move from staging to production? **Merge and push** — Each environment follows a Git branch. Merge staging into main and push; the GitHub App deploys production with the same build steps. Database contents and uploads are not promoted with the code. ### Does staging get its own HTTPS domain? **Yes** — Every environment comes with a frbit.app test domain and a TLS certificate, ready to share with a client before any DNS is touched. Custom domains can be added per environment as well. --- - [Staging environments](/features/staging-environments) - [Test domain](/features/test-domain) - [The environment](/platform/objects/environment)