How do you handle rollback and recovery scenarios for software releases and deployments?

1 Define rollback and recovery strategies

Before you release or deploy any software change, you should define your rollback and recovery strategies. These are the steps and procedures that you will follow in case you need to undo or fix the change. For example, you might have a backup of the previous version of the software, a script that reverses the database migration, or a feature flag that disables the new functionality. You should also document your rollback and recovery strategies and communicate them to your team and stakeholders.

2 Automate rollback and recovery processes

One of the best ways to handle rollback and recovery scenarios is to automate them as much as possible. Automation can reduce human errors, save time, and increase consistency. You can use SCM tools such as Git, Jenkins, Ansible, or Kubernetes to automate your rollback and recovery processes. For example, you can use Git to revert your code changes, Jenkins to trigger your rollback or recovery jobs, Ansible to orchestrate your infrastructure changes, or Kubernetes to roll back or recover your containerized applications.

3 Test rollback and recovery scenarios

Another best practice for handling rollback and recovery scenarios is to test them before you release or deploy your software change. Testing can help you identify and resolve any issues or dependencies that might affect your rollback or recovery actions. You can use SCM tools such as GitLab, GitHub, or Azure DevOps to create and run tests for your rollback and recovery scenarios. For example, you can use GitLab to create a pipeline that simulates a rollback or recovery scenario, GitHub to create a pull request that triggers a rollback or recovery test, or Azure DevOps to create a release pipeline that performs a rollback or recovery test.

4 Monitor and verify rollback and recovery results

Finally, you should monitor and verify the results of your rollback or recovery actions. Monitoring and verifying can help you ensure that your software change has been successfully undone or fixed, and that there are no adverse effects or side effects on your system or users. You can use SCM tools such as Splunk, Datadog, or New Relic to monitor and verify your rollback or recovery results. For example, you can use Splunk to analyze your logs and metrics, Datadog to visualize your system performance and alerts, or New Relic to measure your user experience and satisfaction.

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?