I go with .vm - nice, short and a reminder of what it is.

I always use the real domains and then use something like Hosts Manager for Chrome to switch between local, staging and production. Advantage is that you can use the same server config files, same SSL certs, etc. Disadvantage is that you might be getting confused in the beginning.

To help with that you can add a box somewhere for local and staging telling you what environment you're currently in. Hosts Manager also adds a little overlay with the current IP address in the bottom left corner, so if you know your IPs, then you can use that as well.

jayhealey said:

I go with .vm - nice, short and a reminder of what it is.

I like this alot - as it is not in use, and unless a new country suddenly appears on the map - it will never be assigned in the future. I'll use that - thanks!