/release-checklist

Release Checklist

[Github] [@HashNuke]

SQL & indexes

Caching

  • Cache whatever you can
  • TTLs for cache keys
  • Use cache keys with app version as prefix or suffix

Code

  • Comments for any hacks
  • Test cases for all code that isn't quickly comprehensible
  • Test any code that depends on randomisation
  • Respect third-party API limits
  • Request-response times

Data

  • Check affected rows/documents
  • Handle old values with fallbacks
  • [OR] Migrate/translate any existing data to new format

Micro-services

  • Check database fields that are read/written to by different components
  • Check all components that interface with anything related
  • Watch for errors across components during testing
  • Ensure High Availability for any new components

Load testing

  • Add monitoring limits
  • Test all auto-scaling rules
  • Disable/block write API calls to third-party APIs (comment code OR use firewall)

User-facing

  • Serve all assets via HTTPS (css, javascript, images, fonts, etc)
  • Payload for all XHR calls that might be affected
  • Support link is available on every webpage
  • Contact form works and contact information is available
  • Navigation links
  • Anything that depends on SMS (Reset password, 2FA, etc)
  • Cross-browser tests
  • Lookout for weird characters in views and check if unicode is used properly

Debugging

  • Build reports/pages/scripts to be able to debug quickly

Metrics and data

  • System stats
  • Queue message counts at regular intervals
  • Response codes from third-party API calls
  • Track errors

Communication

  • Inform co-workers about any changes to development setup and provide necessary scripts/commands to migrate
  • Update README/docs about changes

I found it useful to maintain a checklist when deploying code. This was compiled over a period of time. Feel free to contribute changes on GitHub

-- @HashNuke