Canary deployment pipeline
A canary deployment reduces the initial exposure of a release by sending only a small share of production traffic to it. This diagram starts with pre-release tests, then deploys the candidate to five percent of traffic. The team watches explicit guardrails instead of treating deployment as the final step. Passing guardrails permits an expansion to twenty-five percent and a second observation period. Failing guardrails trigger removal of the canary and restoration of the prior version. A hold path gives the team time to investigate when the expanded rollout is not ready to continue. Replace the traffic percentages and measurements with the limits that match the service and its release policy.
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Scenario
A platform team wants to control the exposure of a new version while measuring its production behavior.
Key decisions
- Initial exposure: Limit the first deployment to a small traffic share.
- Guardrails: Define which error, latency, and conversion changes are acceptable.
- Expansion: Increase traffic only after the first observation period passes.
- Recovery: Remove a failing canary and restore the prior version.
When to reuse this
Use this for releases that can be routed to a controlled share of production traffic.
Frequently asked questions
What is a canary deployment?
What are deployment guardrails?
Why monitor after expansion?
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