Configure Replit across development, staging, and production environments.
Use when setting up multi-environment deployments, configuring per-environment secrets,
or implementing environment-specific Replit configurations.
Trigger with phrases like "replit environments", "replit staging",
"replit dev prod", "replit environment setup", "replit config by env".
Configure development, staging, and production environments on Replit. Leverages Replit's built-in dev/prod database separation, environment-specific secrets, and deployment types. Covers the Replit-native approach (single Repl, dual databases) and the multi-Repl approach (separate Repls per environment).
Prerequisites
Replit Core or Teams plan (deployment access)
PostgreSQL provisioned in Database pane
Understanding of Replit Secrets
Environment Strategy
Approach 1: Single Repl, Dual Databases (Recommended)
Replit natively provides separate development and production databases:
Workspace "Run" button → Development database
Deployed app (.replit.app) → Production database
Both use the same DATABASE_URL env var — Replit routes automatically.
No code changes needed between environments.
Approach 2: Multi-Repl (Staging + Production)
For teams that need a staging environment:
Repl 1: my-app-staging → Autoscale deployment → staging.replit.app
Repl 2: my-app-prod → Reserved VM deployment → app.example.com
Each Repl has its own:
- Secrets (different API keys per environment)
- PostgreSQL database (separate data)
- Deployment configuration
- GitHub branch (staging → staging, main → production)
Instructions
Step 1: Environment Detection
// src/config/environment.ts
type Environment = 'development' | 'staging' | 'production';
export function detectEnvironment(): Environment {
// Replit deployment context
if (process.env.REPL_DEPLOYMENT) {
// Check if this is the staging Repl
if (process.env.REPL_SLUG?.includes('staging')) return 'staging';
return 'production';
}
// Workspace "Run" context
if (process.env.REPL_SLUG) return 'development';
// Fallback to NODE_ENV
const env = process.env.NODE_ENV || 'development';
if (env === 'production') return 'production';
if (env === 'staging') return 'staging';
return 'development';
}
export const ENV = detectEnvironment();
export const IS_PROD = ENV === 'production';
For Single Repl (dev/prod separation):
- All secrets set once in Secrets tab
- DATABASE_URL auto-switches (Replit manages)
- Same JWT_SECRET for both (or use REPL_IDENTITY for dev)
For Multi-Repl (staging + prod):
- Each Repl has its own Secrets tab
- staging Repl: JWT_SECRET=staging-secret, API_KEY=test-key
- production Repl: JWT_SECRET=prod-secret, API_KEY=live-key
Account-level secrets (shared across all Repls):
- Settings > Secrets > Account secrets
- Useful for: monitoring tokens, shared infrastructure keys
Step 4: GitHub Branch Strategy (Multi-Repl)
Repository setup:
- main branch → connected to production Repl
- staging branch → connected to staging Repl
- feature branches → PR to staging first
Workflow:
1. Feature branch → PR to staging
2. Tests pass + review → merge to staging
3. Staging Repl auto-deploys → verify staging
4. Staging → PR to main
5. Merge → production Repl auto-deploys
# .github/workflows/deploy.yml
name: Deploy Pipeline
on:
push:
branches: [staging, main]
jobs:
test:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
steps:
- uses: actions/checkout@v4
- run: npm ci && npm test
verify-staging:
if: github.ref == 'refs/heads/staging'
needs: test
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
steps:
- name: Wait for Replit deploy
run: sleep 60
- name: Health check staging
run: curl -sf ${{ secrets.STAGING_URL }}/health
verify-production:
if: github.ref == 'refs/heads/main'
needs: test
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
steps:
- name: Wait for Replit deploy
run: sleep 60
- name: Health check production
run: curl -sf ${{ secrets.PRODUCTION_URL }}/health
Step 5: Database Migration Between Environments
// scripts/promote-data.ts — Copy staging data to production (carefully!)
import { Pool } from 'pg';
const staging = new Pool({ connectionString: process.env.STAGING_DATABASE_URL });
const production = new Pool({ connectionString: process.env.PRODUCTION_DATABASE_URL });
async function promoteConfig() {
// Only promote configuration/reference data, never user data
const { rows: configs } = await staging.query('SELECT * FROM feature_flags');
for (const config of configs) {
await production.query(
`INSERT INTO feature_flags (key, value, updated_at)
VALUES ($1, $2, NOW())
ON CONFLICT (key) DO UPDATE SET value = $2, updated_at = NOW()`,
[config.key, config.value]
);
}
console.log(`Promoted ${configs.length} feature flags to production`);
}
