What are the best ways to test scripts before deploying them?

Always in a test environment unless you're feeling saucy and dangerous. Keep DB and code based == to PROD except for defined change sets in CI/CD strategy. Also, I make sure to have a testing matrix with business/user scenarios documented first. How is this solution actually going to be used in its entirety. Then assign those test scripts to the scenarios. All too often people create test scripts that are actually unit tests since they're created by a developer or technical lead. Then they're tested in a silo. Big no no. Developers aren't going to be using the tool. It'll be end users who may be a developer, but they're not looking at it in the lens of a unit test. From that holistic picture, you can find edge cases that break things

Test environment is a must for system admins and developers to test their configuration and code, cloud and virtualization (dockers) have made things easy to test and debug config and codes without hardware compatibility issues. in a cloud scenario bring up second similar machine or SAAS, docker as production and test the code before going near to the real prod service.

The best ways to test scripts before deployment include conducting thorough unit testing to assess individual components' functionality, integration testing to evaluate interactions between different modules, and system testing to verify the script's performance in a simulated environment resembling the production environment. Additionally, implementing automated testing frameworks and continuous integration practices can streamline the testing process and identify potential issues early on. Collaborating with stakeholders and conducting user acceptance testing (UAT) can provide valuable feedback and ensure the script meets business requirements before deployment. Regularly reviewing and refining test cases based on feedback an

The best ways to test scripts before deploying them in IT Services System Administration include conducting thorough unit tests to validate individual functions and modules, utilizing staging environments that mimic production setups to assess script behavior in a controlled environment, and implementing automated testing frameworks for comprehensive validation across various scenarios. Additionally, performing manual testing by simulating real-world usage can uncover potential issues that automated tests might miss, while peer code reviews offer valuable insights and feedback for refinement before deployment.

"Using automated environments is an effective way to test scripts before deploying them. By implementing automated tests, you can check the functionality, performance and compatibility of scripts in a systematic and repetitive way. This helps identify and fix errors or vulnerabilities more efficiently. Use test automation tools to create and execute test cases in test environments that mimic the production environment, thus ensuring a safer and more reliable deployment." for your test environment.

When working with bash scripts, I try to use "set" properly. Most importantly I try conditionally set -x/+x to have the debug output. If I try to execute scripts collected from elsewhere, to be safe, I use "set -f" to avoid any unwanted issues related to file glob or let's say "rm -r *".

Unit Tests: Break script down & test each part to function independently. Integration Tests: Make sure script works well with others (libraries, systems). System Tests: Simulate a real environment to catch unexpected issues. Manual Testing: Have a user test the script's output & flow. Static Code Analysis: Use tools to find errors & improve code quality. Test often,