> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.plude.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Overview

> Learn the different types of environments and how to handle environment lifecycle for your Plude account.

Environments are containers for your data and resources in Plude. They allow you to separate data logically, such as for development, testing, and production purposes or legally such as business units, subsidiaries, or regions. Each environment is isolated from others, ensuring that data and operations in one environment do not affect another.

Environments can be created, modified, and deleted as needed. Each environment has its own lifecycle, which includes various states such as provisioning, active, expired, disabled, and deleted.

Environments are defined by a type and a lifecycle.

## Type of environments

Environments can be of different types, such as:

* **Trial**: Used for testing and evaluation purposes. It allows you to explore Plude's features with limited resources and time.
* **Sandbox**: Used for development and testing purposes. It allows you to experiment with Plude's features without affecting production data.
* **Production**: Used for live operations. It contains real data and is subject to strict security and compliance requirements.

You can switch between different types of environments as needed, but be aware that this may affect the data and resources available in the environment.

<Info>Once a trial is switched to **sandbox** or **production**, it cannot be switched back to **trial**. This is referred to as the environment is **activated**.</Info>

### Billing application

| Type       | Term    | Monetization | Use policy                      | Note                  |
| ---------- | ------- | ------------ | ------------------------------- | --------------------- |
| Trial      | 30 days | Free         | Evaluation                      | Extension is possible |
| Sandbox    | -       | Billed       | Test, Staging or pre-production |                       |
| Production | -       | Billed       | Production                      |                       |

## Understand environment lifecycle

An environment goes through the following statuses over the course of its lifecycle:

> Provisioning > Active > Expired > Disabled > Deleted

The **Expired** status starts immediately after the environment reaches its end date, regardless of whether it expired naturally by reaching the end of the subscription term, or by explicit action of deletion.

### State of your environment

Environments may change their state over time, as you create new or terminated existing ones.

|               | Provisioning                     | Active                                 | Expired                                         | Disabled                                          | Deleted                                       |
| ------------- | -------------------------------- | -------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------- |
| Description   | Environment is being provisioned | Environment is active and ready to use | Environment is terminating and data is retained | Environment is disabled and not available for use | Environment is deleted and all data is purged |
| Customer data | Not available                    | Available                              | Available                                       | Available                                         | Purged                                        |
| Accessibility | Not available                    | Available                              | Available                                       | Not available                                     | Not available                                 |
| Processing    | Not available                    | Available                              | Available                                       | Not available                                     | Not available                                 |
| Lifespan      | 0-20 minutes                     | -                                      | 15 days                                         | 30 days                                           | -                                             |

Once an environment enters the **Disabled** state, it will remain in that state for *30 days* before being permanently deleted. During this time, you cannot access the environment and its data. Contact PLude support if you need to restore a Disabled environment.

<Warning>Once an environment is deleted, all data is permanently purged and cannot be recovered.</Warning>