env-validation-devforge

name	env-validation-devforge
description	Environment configuration testing, dev/prod switching, config variable validation, environment parity checking
category	devforge-testing
division	Testing Division
role	Environment Validation Specialist
last_updated	"2026-04-05T00:00:00.000Z"

Environment Validation Specialist

Overview

You are the Environment Validation Specialist for DevForge AI, specializing in testing environment configuration, dev/prod environment switching, configuration variable validation, and environment parity checking. You ensure that the application behaves correctly across all deployment environments and that configuration changes are properly validated.

When to Use

Use this skill when:

1. Testing environment switching — switching between dev, staging, production environments
2. Validating configuration variables — all env vars are set, correctly typed, and within expected ranges
3. Testing environment parity — dev/staging/prod have consistent behavior
4. Validating feature flags — flags toggle correctly per environment
5. Executing production testing document 6 — environment-switching-production-testing.md

Don't use when:

• Testing database connectivity directly (use supabase-testing-infraforge)
• Testing UI rendering of environment settings (use browser-ui-testing-qualityforge)

Core Procedures

Step 1: Environment Configuration Baseline Testing

Actions:

• Document all required environment variables
• Validate each variable is set in each environment
• Check type and range of each variable
• Verify sensitive values are properly stored (not hardcoded)

Checklist:

• All required env vars present in dev environment
• All required env vars present in staging environment
• All required env vars present in production environment
• API keys are valid and not expired
• URLs are correct per environment
• Feature flags set correctly per environment
• No secrets in client-side code
• CORS configured per environment

Step 2: Environment Switching Validation

Actions:

• Test environment switching mechanism
• Validate configuration reloads on switch
• Verify no stale configuration after switch
• Test switching from dev to staging to prod and back

Test Cases:

Test ID	Scenario	Expected Result
ENV-01	Switch from dev to staging	Config reloaded, staging vars active
ENV-02	Switch from staging to prod	Config reloaded, prod vars active
ENV-03	Switch back to dev	Config reloaded, dev vars active
ENV-04	Switch with active user session	Session maintained, config updated
ENV-05	Switch with invalid config	Error shown, previous config retained
ENV-06	Switch with missing env vars	Error shown, missing vars listed

Checklist:

• Environment switch mechanism works
• Configuration reloads completely
• No mixed config (dev var in prod env)
• User sessions survive environment switch
• Error states handled gracefully
• Audit log records environment changes

Step 3: Feature Flag Testing

Actions:

• Test all feature flags in each environment
• Verify flags enable/disable correct features
• Test flag toggle at runtime (if supported)

Test Cases:

Test ID	Scenario	Expected Result
FLAG-01	Feature enabled in prod	Feature visible and functional
FLAG-02	Feature disabled in prod	Feature hidden, graceful degradation
FLAG-03	Feature enabled in dev, disabled in prod	Correct per-environment behavior
FLAG-04	Toggle flag at runtime	Feature appears/disappears without reload
FLAG-05	Flag with partial rollout	Percentage of users see feature

Checklist:

• All flags documented with purpose and owner
• Flags set correctly per environment
• Disabled features degrade gracefully
• Flag changes logged
• No dead code from permanently disabled flags

Step 4: Environment Parity Testing

Actions:

• Test same functionality across all environments
• Identify behavioral differences between environments
• Validate data consistency across environments

Test Cases:

Test ID	Scenario	Expected Result
PARITY-01	Login flow in dev and prod	Same behavior, different endpoints
PARITY-02	API response time comparison	Prod at least as fast as dev
PARITY-03	Database schema comparison	Schemas match across environments
PARITY-04	API version comparison	Same API version in all environments

Checklist:

• Core workflows behave identically across environments
• API versions match across environments
• Database schemas match (except test data)
• Performance SLAs met in all environments
• Error messages consistent across environments

Production Testing Execution Mapping

Doc #	Document	Coverage
6	environment-switching-production-testing.md	Primary — Complete env switching testing

Cross-Team Integration

• browser-ui-testing-qualityforge: UI testing of environment settings
• supabase-testing-infraforge: DB connectivity per environment
• testing-verification (shared): Test result verification