How do you choose between deployment rollback and blue/green deployment?

1 Deployment rollback

Deployment rollback is the simplest way to undo a deployment. It means restoring the previous version of your software from a backup or a source control repository. You can use a script, a tool, or a manual process to perform the rollback. The advantage of this method is that it is fast and easy to execute. The disadvantage is that it can cause data loss, inconsistency, or corruption if the new version has made any changes to the database or other external resources.

2 Blue/green deployment

Blue/green deployment is a more advanced way to switch between versions. It means having two identical environments, one with the current version (blue) and one with the new version (green). You can test the green environment before making it live, and then switch the traffic from blue to green with a load balancer or a DNS change. The advantage of this method is that it allows for zero-downtime deployment and easy rollback. The disadvantage is that it requires more resources, coordination, and synchronization.

3 Factors to consider

When determining which deployment strategy to use, it is important to consider the size and complexity of your software and database, the frequency and urgency of your deployments, the availability and performance of your system, as well as the cost and capacity of your infrastructure. For example, larger and more complex systems may benefit from blue/green deployment due to its reduced risk of errors and data issues. On the other hand, more frequent and urgent deployments may favor deployment rollback, as it is quicker and simpler to execute. Additionally, higher availability and performance expectations may demand blue/green deployment in order to eliminate downtime and allow for testing and validation. Lastly, more cost and capacity constraints may limit blue/green deployment since it requires twice as much resources and storage.

4 Best practices

No matter which deployment strategy you choose, you should adhere to certain best practices to ensure a successful and seamless process. This includes planning and documenting your deployment process and rollback plan, having a clear and comprehensive step-by-step guide for both scenarios, and communicating it to your team and stakeholders. Additionally, you should test and verify the new version before deploying it with automated or manual testing tools. After deploying the system, monitor and measure it with metrics, logs, alerts, and feedback to track its performance, reliability, and user satisfaction. Finally, review and analyze your deployment outcomes, identify any issues or gaps, and implement any changes or enhancements for future deployments.

5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?