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Creating Environments

This guide walks you through the process of creating a new environment in Thevenin, from initial setup to deploying your first application.

Before You Begin​

Beta Resource Limits

During the BETA phase, new accounts receive a default resource reservation:

  • Environments: 1 environment allowed
  • CPU: 1 core (1000m) total
  • Memory: 512 MB total
  • Filesystem Storage: 5 GB total
  • Persistent Volumes: 10 GB total
  • Bandwidth In: 10 MBps
  • Bandwidth Out: 1 MBps

You allocate these resources when creating your environment(s).

Prerequisites​

Before creating an environment, ensure you have:

  • An active Thevenin account
  • Available resource reservation
  • A plan for what applications you'll deploy
  • Understanding of your resource requirements

Step-by-Step Creation Process​

Step 1: Navigate to Environments​

  1. Log in to your Thevenin dashboard
  2. Click on "Environments" in the main navigation
  3. Click the "New Environment" button

Step 2: Basic Information​

Provide the fundamental details for your environment:

Name​

  • Choose a clear, descriptive name
  • Use lowercase and hyphens (e.g., production, dev-team-alpha)
  • Avoid special characters or spaces
  • Maximum 63 characters

Good Examples:

production
staging
development
feature-auth-system
demo-environment

Avoid:

Prod Env
env_1
test!!!

Description (Optional)​

Provide context about the environment's purpose:

  • Target audience (developers, QA, customers)
  • Purpose (testing, production, demos)
  • Special considerations

Example:

Production environment for customer-facing web application.
Requires high availability and monitoring.

Step 3: Resource Quota​

The resources quota you assign define the environment's capacity.

warning

Resource Quota are not set in Prod Tier Environments by default, this is done unpurpose to avoid unwanted disruptions dues to Resource Starvation.

CPU Allocation: Specify the number of CPU cores (in millicores):

  • 1000m = 1 full CPU core
  • 500m = half a CPU cores

Memory Allocation: Specify RAM in megabytes (MB)

Filesystem Storage: Allocate ephemeral storage for container filesystems:

  • Used for temporary files, logs, caches
  • Resets when containers restart
  • Measured in gigabytes (GB)

Persistent Volume Storage: Allocate storage for persistent data:

  • Survives container restarts
  • Used for databases, uploaded files, etc.
  • Measured in gigabytes (GB)

Step 4: Review and Create​

  1. Review your configuration summary:

    • Environment name and description
    • Resource allocations
    • Remaining available resources

  2. Click "Create Environment"

  3. Wait for environment initialization (usually 30-60 seconds)

  4. Once created, you'll see the environment dashboard

After Creation​

Verify Environment Status​

Once created, check that your environment is healthy:

  1. Navigate to the environment dashboard
  2. Verify status shows "Active" or "Ready"
  3. Check that allocated resources are displayed correctly

Next Steps​

With your environment created, you can:

  1. Deploy Applications: Add containerized applications to your environment

  2. Configure Attachments: Set up volumes and variable sets

  3. Monitor Performance: Track resource usage and application health

Resource Planning Tips​

Calculate Your Needs​

Before creating environments, estimate resource requirements:

Small Application Stack:

Web server: 250m CPU, 128 MB RAM
Database: 250m CPU, 256 MB RAM
Cache: 200m CPU, 128 MB RAM
Total: 700m CPU, 512 MB RAM

Leave Buffer: Always reserve 10-20% for overhead and spikes:

Required: 700m CPU, 512 MB RAM
With buffer: 800m CPU, 560 MB RAM (if available)

Optimize Resource Distribution​

Single Environment Strategy:

  • Use all resources for one robust environment
  • Simpler management
  • Better performance
  • Good for: Production-only or development-only needs

Multi-Environment Strategy:

  • Split resources across environments
  • Better workflow separation
  • Parallel development and testing
  • Good for: Teams with dev → staging → prod pipeline

Common Issues and Solutions​

"Insufficient Resources" Error​

Problem: Not enough resources available for the requested allocation.

Solutions:

  • Reduce resource requests
  • Delete unused environments to free up resources
  • Contact support to increase your resource reservation

Environment Stuck in "Creating" State​

Problem: Environment initialization is taking too long.

Solutions:

  • Wait 2-3 minutes (initialization can take time)
  • Refresh the page
  • Check platform status page
  • Contact support if issue persists

Can't Create More Environments​

Problem: Reached environment limit.

Solutions:

  • Delete unused environments
  • During BETA, limit is 1 environment
  • Contact support for increased limits

Best Practices​

1. Use Descriptive Names​

Clear names help team members understand purpose:

  • ✅ production-web-app
  • ✅ staging-api-v2
  • ❌ env1
  • ❌ test

2. Document Your Environments​

Add detailed descriptions explaining:

  • Purpose and use case
  • Who manages it
  • Special configurations
  • Related services

3. Start Small​

Begin with minimal resources and scale up:

  • Easier to increase than decrease
  • Helps identify actual needs
  • Reduces waste

4. Monitor Resource Usage​

After creation, track utilization:

  • Check CPU and memory usage regularly
  • Adjust allocations based on actual needs
  • Plan for growth

5. Clean Up Unused Environments​

Delete environments you're not using:

  • Frees up resources
  • Reduces clutter
  • Improves organization

Next Steps​

Now that you've created your environment: