test different parts of the code- the parts that make the whole.

Certain test cases may also require the environment to be prepared according to
a particular set of data. This is what is referred to as a test bed. Thus, a test bed
is a test environment prepared with test data to help you identify cases requiring
a particular data setup.

The main purpose of such environments is to allow QA teams to check system

components and uncover errors and issues so the environment must closely
replicate real user conditions. Once issues are detected, they can be fixed without
affecting real users and negatively impacting their experience.

The elements of a test environment include the following:

The software to be tested

Test data
Network configuration
Device on which the software is to be tested
Database server

Types of environments
Before we delve deeper into test environments, we will first discuss the types of
environments that precede and follow test environments. In this context,
environments refer to the server location of the application or software, which are
divided according to the state of the software.

Generally speaking, there are four types of environments in software

development:

Development
Testing
Staging
Production