A test environment is a computer or a server on which a tester tests the software. After the team builds the software, the tester installs it on this computer with all its dependencies, just like the production environment. This allows the tester to test the software in a real-world scenario.
A test environment enables the tester to create reliable test setups which are identical whenever a new version of the software is released. The test environment includes the test bed, which is the test data using which the tester will test the software. This data helps the tester to verify test cases that need a particular setup.
Typically, the test environment is an identical copy of the production environment. Having a duplicate copy allows the tester to reliably reproduce the bugs reported by the customers and provide the exact steps to the developers to fix them.
Here are some prerequisites for a good test environment:
- A server with a similar configuration, including the software and the hardware to match a production environment.
- Sample test data with which to test the software.
- Test database with reasonably realistic data, it can be a copy of an actual production database.
- Installed software under the test.
