In modern cloud-based applications, automation of development and testability in cloud arises with portability, heavy traffic, data, and performance requirements. DevOps can define the Developer VMs or environments with a set of limitations as well as VMs or setup for testable environment for various kinds of testing, all in the same cloud (but different network segment) where the production systems are running. This not just allows a the realistic feel, but also provides the flexibility to create environments in minutes instead of weeks by the infrastructure as a code paradigm with various cloud infrastructure providers.
In AWS, you have a number of predefined templates available to quickly create your development and test environments on the cloud. Once you have consumed them, you can then destroy them, since you can easily and quickly recreate them. This allows you to keep the cost under control, as well as keep your in-house infrastructure safe, secure, and undisturbed.
With similar goals, Microsoft Azure provides a dedicated optimized DevTest environment for pre-production development, a test setup where VMs can be created, started, stopped, and destroyed easily, and to frequently keep the cost under control.
Azure's feature is called Azure DevTest Labs , and has the following main points listed on their website:
- Fast, easy, and lean dev-test environments
- Quickly provision development and test environments
- Minimize waste with quotas and policies
- Set automated shutdowns to minimize costs
- Build Windows and Linux environments