Software Release Checklist
Ship a release safely: freeze, test, stage, deploy, and monitor.
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How it works
A release goes wrong when steps are done from memory and one gets skipped under pressure. This template makes the release repeatable: freeze the branch, run the full test suite, update the changelog and version, stage and smoke-test the build, prepare rollback steps, deploy, then monitor. Apply it for every release so shipping is a calm checklist instead of a tense scramble.
What you get (7 tasks)
- Freeze the release branchhigh~15m
Cut and freeze the release branch so no unreviewed changes slip into this version while it is being prepared.
#prep - Run the full test suitehigh~45m
Run all automated tests against the release branch and fix anything that fails before going further.
#testing - Update the changelog and versionmedium~30m
Write the changelog for this release and bump the version number so the release is clearly identified.
#prep - Stage and smoke-test the buildhigh~45m
Deploy the build to staging and run a smoke test of the critical paths to catch obvious breakage early.
#testing - Prepare rollback stepshigh~20m
Write down exactly how to roll back this release. Having the steps ready before deploy turns an incident into a quick recovery.
#prep - Deploy to productionhigh~30m
Push the release to production following the deploy process, and confirm the critical paths work live.
#deploy - Post-release: monitor errors and metricsmedium~45m
Watch error rates, logs, and key metrics for a while after the deploy. The release is not done until it is confirmed healthy.
#monitoring
When to use this
- Make every release follow the same reliable steps
- Catch regressions before they reach production
- Have rollback steps ready before deploying, not during an incident
- Confirm a release is healthy with real post-deploy monitoring
Frequently asked
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