{"id":1566,"date":"2022-12-07T13:50:39","date_gmt":"2022-12-07T13:50:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vwo.com\/glossary\/?p=1566"},"modified":"2025-04-11T13:32:58","modified_gmt":"2025-04-11T13:32:58","slug":"testing-in-production","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vwo.com\/glossary\/testing-in-production\/","title":{"rendered":"Testing in Production"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What is Testing in Production?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Testing in production (TIP) is a practice in the software development cycle where tests are performed on a product in a live environment instead of a staging environment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Catching bugs in the pre-production stage is an effective way to release quality products and win customers\u2019 trust. But not all bugs can be fixed pre-production considering the restrictions in simulating a product in a live environment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, tests in the staging environment are restricted to a limited number of users, while post-production tests are made available to real users. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is for this reason testing in production is challenging because it can cause a detrimental impact if not done right. If anything goes wrong, the impact will not stay confined to your organization but be felt in its outer circle as well. But given the growing importance of TIP, companies can no longer turn away from this methodology. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why is testing in production beneficial?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Convinced of the benefits of TIP, companies are becoming less and less hesitant about using this testing method today. Here are the reasons why you must give TIP a try:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Collect user feedback<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Testing in production allows you to collect data from your users\u2019 interaction with new features. Based on the feedback collected, you can optimize your product features to deliver superior user experiences. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fix glitches <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In case you\u2019ve missed any bugs in the staging environment, they can be identified and fixed to ensure the release of a higher-quality product to the end users. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Support incremental release<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

TIP allows you to test and debug through small iterations. This limits the impact of technical faults to a small number of users. As a result, you can optimize every release, making your product\u2019s current version better than the previous versions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Move between different testing types<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

TIP expands the scope of testing by facilitating the easy transition between different types of testing. For example, using this methodology, you can conduct hardcore functionality testing of a UI change, after that which you may also perform an A\/B test <\/a>to record users\u2019 responses to those changes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With all of that said, let us remind you that TIP should never replace staging tests. While some tests work fine in staging, others need production data to be worked upon. Nevertheless, both are equally important in improving product experiences. Testing in staging and testing in production must go hand in hand and neither is the replacement for one other. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the challenge of testing in production? <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Undertaking a methodology as TIP comes with certain challenges as well. If TIP goes wrong, companies can face serious real-world consequences. Here are some risks of this practice:<\/p>\n\n\n\n