For companies and agencies working on complex projects, managing multiple environments (development, staging, production) is a necessity, not a luxury. Testing integrations, validating workflows or experimenting with new automations without impacting real data is crucial to guaranteeing business continuity. HubSpot is a robust solution, but unlike platforms such as Stripe or Intercom, it does not offer an integrated system for managing multiple environments.
This can be a problem, particularly when errors in production directly affect customers, inadvertent tests use sensitive data, or unvalidated workflows disrupt operations. So how do you structure a reliable approach to managing multiple environments on HubSpot? This detailed guide explores the challenges, existing solutions and strategies for creating secure, optimized, partitioned environments for your projects.
Why structure multiple environments on HubSpot?
The challenges
HubSpot is a powerful platform, widely adopted by companies to centralize their marketing, sales and customer relations. This lack of differentiation between development, testing and production makes managing complex projects more risky.
Deploying a new workflow, modifying a CRM pipeline or integrating a new API without a safety net is playing with fire. A mistake in production can lead to data loss, malfunctioning automations, or e-mails sent by mistake to real prospects. Without a clear separation between development, testing and operation, you soon find yourself navigating a CRM where critical information is inadvertently modified, where untested workflows impact customers, and where every change becomes a risky gamble.
The solution? Structure several work environments to ensure gradual, controlled deployment. This enables integrations to be tested, automations to be fine-tuned, and each update to be guaranteed to work perfectly before any real data is affected.
Key environments
To structure a reliable approach, it is essential to separate the various work phases into three distinct environments.
The development environment enables new functions and integrations to be tested on a dedicated HubSpot account or locally, without impacting production.
The staging environment is as faithful a copy of production as possible. It lets you test under real-life conditions, while keeping risks under control. Workflows, e-mail sequences, complex automations and API integrations are validated here before being deployed in earnest.
This is also where user interactions are simulated to ensure that everything runs smoothly and consistently.
Finally, the production environment is where real data is used. It must remain stable, reliable and safe from experimentation. Only modifications carefully validated in staging are deployed here, guaranteeing seamless continuity of CRM and automation.
1. HubSpot and environment management: the state of play
Available solutions
Although HubSpot does not offer a native staging environment, there are several options for structuring a secure workflow.
HubSpot test portals, accessible via a developer account, are an interesting solution for testing integrations and exploring the capabilities of HubSpot APIs without impacting real data. This is an ideal approach for developers wishing to validate API calls, create extensions or simulate CRM interactions. However, these portals remain isolated and do not allow for an exact replication of a production environment.
The Content Staging tool is an effective lever for marketing and web teams. It enables pages to be modified and tested before publication, particularly in the context of a redesign or design change. This functionality is invaluable for web content, but does not apply to workflows, automations or integrations with third-party tools.
For companies requiring more advanced synchronization, third-party solutions such as Operations Hub, Zapier or Unito enable certain data to be duplicated between different HubSpot accounts. This makes it possible to obtain a test base closer to production, and to work with consistent data. On the other hand, setting up these tools requires advanced configuration and particular vigilance to avoid creating uncontrolled duplications.
2. Structuring efficient environment management
Creating a development environment
The first step in securing your work is to set up a dedicated development environment. The aim is to test new integrations, workflows and automations without impacting real data.
The use of a HubSpot Developer account is recommended. This type of account enables you to explore HubSpot APIs, validate queries and simulate interactions without interfering with production. To take this a step further, tools such as Postman or Insomnia facilitate the simulation of API calls and the analysis of feedback.
To ensure realistic testing without compromising security, it is essential to work with fictitious data. A base of dummy contacts, companies and transactions must be set up to enable full validation of automations and integrations. It's also a good idea to draw up a test protocol documenting the scenarios to be simulated.
Setting up a staging environment
The staging environment serves as a functional replica of the production environment, enabling validation under near-real conditions before final deployment.
The best solution is to create a second HubSpot account and import a representative but anonymized database. It is crucial to faithfully reproduce the CRM structure (contacts, companies, transactions) and to import the workflows and automations currently in use.
Staging tests should enable workflows, automations and user interactions to be validated before going into production.
Going into production without risk
Before going live, a final validation phase must be completed. Every workflow, automation and integration must be tested and validated beforehand.
Load and compatibility tests are also recommended to prevent CRM slowdowns due to misconfiguration. Poorly optimized automation can make processes more cumbersome and impair the user experience.
Plan a roll-back strategy in case of post-deployment problems.
3. How do I set up and manage multiple environments on HubSpot?
HubSpot does not offer a native option for managing multiple environments (development, staging, production), but it is possible to structure an efficient workflow using a set of configurations and third-party tools.
Setting up a development environment (sandbox)
Create a developer account
The development environment is the first level of testing to validate new configurations and integrations without impacting production.
Create a HubSpot Developer account
HubSpot offers Developer Accounts, specially designed for API testing and development:
- Access the HubSpot Developer portal.
- Create a separate account dedicated to development.
- Obtain a specific API key to test API calls without affecting production.
- Use Postman or Insomnia to simulate queries and analyze data flows.
Simulate realistic data
To guarantee relevant tests:
- Create a fictitious dataset (contacts, companies, transactions) to simulate a real CRM environment.
- Use data generation scripts to automate the creation of representative test sets.
- Set up user scenarios, simulating interactions to ensure that workflows and automations function correctly.
Test automations and integrations
The aim is to identify and correct upstream errors:
- Deploy key workflows and check their correct operation with fictitious contacts.
- Simulate marketing campaigns, e-mailing and lead scoring to validate correct execution.
- Analyze API logs to ensure proper data transmission between HubSpot and connected tools.
Set up a staging environment
The staging environment enables you to test configurations before putting them into production, in an isolated space that is representative of the final environment.
Create a second HubSpot account
As there is no native option for duplicating a HubSpot environment, it is necessary to manually reproduce a similar environment:
- Create a second HubSpot account, ideally with a Sales Hub Pro or Enterprise subscription.
- Import an anonymized database, derived from production to maintain test consistency.
- Replicate the CRM structure (objects, properties, pipelines) to test information flows reliably.
Test and synchronize workflows
Once the staging environment has been set up, it's time to make sure it works as expected before going into production:
- Import and test workflows from production.
- Run user test scenarios to validate their behavior in real-life conditions.
- Automate database synchronization with tools such as HubSpot Operations Hub, Zapier or Unito to avoid duplication and maintain data consistency.
Deploy in production with total security
The transition to production must be carried out with care, to avoid critical errors.
Validation and final checklist
Before going live, it is imperative to :
- Confirm that configurations tested in staging are ready for production.
- Ensure that only authorized users can modify critical parameters.
- Test compatibility with third-party integrations.
Current limitations
HubSpot imposes a single access to data, making it difficult to manage testing and secure production releases. Unlike Stripe, which separates test and production environments, HubSpot imposes a single access to data. This means that a poorly parameterized test can impact production, sometimes with irreversible consequences. This means that an incorrectly configured test can impact production, sometimes with irreversible consequences.
What's more, HubSpot accounts cannot be duplicated automatically. It is therefore necessary to manually recreate workflows, pipelines and automations on a second environment, which can be tedious and error-prone.
Finally, HubSpot does not offer a rollback system in the event of a problem after a production launch. A workflow error, an integration misconfiguration or accidental data deletion can be critical, as there is no way to roll back automatically.
4. Best practices for efficient environment management
Multi-environment management on HubSpot requires a methodical approach to avoid any errors that could impact production. Each environment needs to be clearly defined and structured, so that testing and development can take place in complete safety. Here are the best practices to adopt for smooth, efficient management.
Separate access and permissions
One of the first steps in securing the production environment is to restrict access. Human error, unintentional deletion or mishandling of the CRM in production can have serious consequences, including loss of critical data or disruption of ongoing campaigns.
It is therefore essential to define precise roles and assign appropriate permissions to each user. Only essential administrators should have access to advanced settings and modifications impacting the entire HubSpot account. Users working on the development or staging environment should be restricted to these areas to prevent any accidental alteration of data in production.
Finally, it is advisable to check access regularly to ensure that permissions remain adapted to each employee and to the needs of the project. An employee who changes role, an external agency who no longer needs access to the account, or an intern who completes his or her assignment should have their access reassessed.
Automate synchronization between environments
Without effective synchronization of data between environments, it becomes difficult to test functionality and workflows realistically. HubSpot does not natively offer automatic database duplication between development and production environments.
To compensate for this, Operations Hub lets you automate the transfer of certain key data between several HubSpot accounts. This can be useful for synchronizing CRM information without having to import everything manually. Other solutions, such as Zapier or Unito, offer bi-directional synchronization, avoiding the creation of duplicates or update errors.
Another recommended practice is to schedule automatic database exports. This secures data by keeping a reference copy in the event of a problem, and enables versions to be compared between environments.
Set up a test pipeline
The transition from a development environment to production should never take place without rigorous validation. A test pipeline helps to structure checks and identify potential problems before they impact the real environment.
Before any deployment, a validation checklist must be followed, including :
- Verification of workflows and automations.
- Analysis of user permissions and access.
- Validation of integrations with third-party tools.
- Reviewing content to ensure it is correctly formatted and contains no errors.
To take things a step further, HubSpot's APIs can be used to automate certain tests. It is possible to develop scripts that simulate interactions with the CRM to check the consistency of workflows and data. What's more, performing unit tests on critical automations enables you to anticipate any errors before going into production.
5. Checklist for optimal environment management
To effectively structure multi-environment management on HubSpot, here are the key steps to follow:
- Use HubSpot test portals for initial developments. This enables integrations and functionalities to be tested without affecting production.
- Create a staging environment for in-depth validation before going live.
- Set up data synchronization between environments via Operations Hub or Zapier to avoid duplication errors.
- Automate testing and validation before going live, by integrating unit and API tests.
- Restrict access and permissions to prevent accidental modifications impacting the production environment.
Towards better multi-environment management on HubSpot
HubSpot does not natively manage multiple environments, but by combining testing, CRM synchronization and automation, it is possible to set up a secure workflow.
Companies and agencies using HubSpot must :
- Deploy separate environments for development, staging and production.
- Automate testing and synchronization to reduce the risk of errors.
- Use third-party tools to fill current gaps in the platform.
By applying these best practices, managing complex projects on HubSpot becomes smoother, more secure and, above all, more controlled. The aim is to guarantee a smooth go-live, where every change has been tested and validated before impacting end-users. And for more advice, if/else agency experts HubSpot is there for you!
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