Q100569: Creating a Flix Test server

Ivo

Updated: September 30, 2026 22:44

Created: March 05, 2020 01:32

SUMMARY

This article provides information about the benefits of having a test Flix server alongside the studio’s production Flix setup, a recommended setup for such an install, and a step-by-step installation guide. The article assumes there is already a working Flix environment present, used for production.
 

MORE INFORMATION

Here are some of the benefits of having a test Flix server:

• Internal testing of new Flix major versions (e.g. 6.2 -> 6.3) before deploying to artists, as rolling back can be time-consuming and involve a few changes such as a Database downgrade, asset migration, etc...
• A chance to assess the benefits of the new version over the one currently used in production.
• Some config options and customization may require changes, which should be tested.
• It gives the studio a chance to identify potential issues that can affect end-users in production.
• You can use it for testing Flix beta versions and give us feedback before the version is released. We might be able to make the changes to fit your needs before the official release.

The recommended setup for a test server is:

• Similar to the production environment - don’t introduce too many variables that could impact testing vs production results.
• Same Storage, but a different asset directory.
  • If you use the production asset directory, you will likely run into issues, and it will be very hard to clean the test assets.
• Same Database server, but a different DB schema.

Step-by-step instructions on creating the test environment:

1. Create a new test server with similar specs to the production server.
2. Install a test license on the test server - get in touch with support@foundry.com or your Foundry Sales representative to receive a new license for testing purposes.
3. Create a new Flix test directory where you will keep the test Flix version, and download the flix_server from https://www.foundry.com/products/flix/download
4. Copy your production “config.yml” file to your new test Flix directory.
5. Update the “hostname” entry in the new “config.yml” file to be the hostname/IP of the test server.
6. Update the “mysql_database” entry in the new “config.yml” file to “flix_test”. 
   The first time you run your Flix test server, a new DB schema will be created called "flix_test", and it will be separate from the production one. If you are using a different DB server from the production one, you can keep using the default schema name (flix), but please make sure you keep the two DB servers separate.
7. Update the "asset_directory" option to point to a different directory from the one used in production. Flix will store all assets from the test environment in this new directory, leaving production assets untouched. We recommend using similar storage to mimic the production environment as closely as possible.
8. Start the flix_server from the new test Flix directory.

After testing

• Feel free to clear the test assets directory.
• Feel free to clear the “flix_test” DB schema.

FURTHER READING

You can find more information on how to install a regular Flix server here:

Install Flix server page

You can find an example config.yml here.