How to make access to the site without the possibility of copying?

Question

PHP

Hello.
There is a website created in PHP and MySQL. There is a repository on github without a mysql dump. How to organize the ability of the layout designer so that he can make changes to the site and test his changes, but without the ability to copy the entire site? If he copies files from github, then he needs access to the database in order for his local copy to start working. If I give remote access, then through it you can copy the database. How is this work usually organized?

Answer 1

What is the problem with copying only the database structure without data?
That's what migrations in the ORM heap are for.

Answer 2

Give remote access to pre-created VIEWs and nothing more. So you can mask the real architecture of the database

Answer 3

Make a dam of the base structure with test data sufficient for the application to work.
But if you fundamentally need an employee to be unable to copy the database, make a public api with the same test data.
Divide your application into front and back parts. This is more difficult (if the application does not initially work through api), but then the layout designer will only edit his part without the ability to get into the server scripts.

Answer 4

He probably needs to give him ftp access to the test server, where he will only see the folder with templates, well, update and test on the fly ....