# Best practices for testing before upgrade?

**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/best-practices-for-testing-before-upgrade/379364
**Category:** Self-hosting
**Tags:** stable, hosting
**Created:** [August 19, 2025, 10:38pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/best-practices-for-testing-before-upgrade/379364 "2025-08-19T22:38:48Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Showing post:** 2

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### Author: ![pfaffman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/pfaffman/32/120154_2.png) [@pfaffman](https://meta.discourse.org/u/pfaffman)
#### Post date: [August 19, 2025, 10:55pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/best-practices-for-testing-before-upgrade/379364/2 "2025-08-19T22:55:27Z")

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> [@rahim123](#):
>
> Is there an easier method that’s not occurring to me?

No. That’s what you do.

> [@Set up a staging server](https://meta.discourse.org/t/set-up-a-staging-server/225951):
>
> There are several tricks that can help when you are setting up a staging server. What is a staging server? A staging server is essentially a clone of a production site. It also resides on a server, and functions identically. It runs inside a Docker container, just as a normal Discourse site does. It exists to give you a place to try risky things out, or to trial things that you cannot easily hide from your users. It is very useful for trialling adverts using the [Discourse Advertising Plugin (A…](https://meta.discourse.org/t/official-advertising-ad-plugin-for-discourse/33734)

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