28 September 2026
Website staging is available in My NovaMX
You can now create named staging sites next to production: test themes, plugins and content safely, then copy files and the database when a change is ready to go live.
Why this matters
Changing a live site without a safety net is stressful. A broken theme update, a plugin conflict or a content experiment should not land on visitors first. Website staging gives you a full copy of the site next to production, so you can try changes, check the result, then move only what you are ready to publish.
What you get
Each staging site has its own address under your NovaMX hosting, its own files and its own database. You give it a short label such as Dev, Test or Shop-test so several sites stay easy to tell apart. HTTPS is issued for the staging hostname. You can protect the site with a visitor password so search engines and casual visitors do not browse unfinished work.
Staging is not a Preview URL
A Preview URL shows the same live files on a temporary address. It is useful for a quick look without changing DNS, but it is still production content. Staging is a separate site. You build and test there. When you are ready, you push staging to production, or you pull production into staging when you want a fresh starting point.
Copy between environments
In My NovaMX you choose a source and a target, for example Production to Dev, or Dev to Production. NovaMX copies files and, when the site has a database, the database as well. Site addresses in the copy are adjusted for the target environment. You confirm the overwrite in a clear dialog before anything runs. The copy then continues in the background so you can keep working in the portal.
Safer defaults for mail and tasks
Outbound mail from staging is off by default, so a test order or a forgotten form does not email real customers. You can allow only addresses on a test list, or turn live sending on after an explicit confirmation. Scheduled tasks (cron) on staging stay off until you enable them. That keeps background jobs from running twice while you experiment.
Who can use it
From Business upward, one staging site per hosted domain is included. Web Basic can add Website staging as an add-on. Extra staging sites use the same add-on price. Staging applies to Website hosting, not to App hosting addresses.
How to start
Sign in to My NovaMX, open Website for your domain, then open Website staging. Create a site with a label and optional password. Pull production into staging when you want a working baseline, make your changes, then push back to production when you are satisfied. The step-by-step guide linked below covers the same flow in more detail.