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Guilherme Mazui

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What is the Difference Between Rollout and Deploy?

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The terms "rollout" and "deploy" are often used in the context of software development and release, but they have different meanings and use cases:

  • Rollout: A rollout refers to the process of gradually releasing a new software version or update to a wider audience. This can involve progressive delivery, such as deploying a canary to a small percentage of users before making the new version the primary production version. Rollouts are often used in scenarios that require progressive delivery or advanced deployment functionality.
  • Deploy: Deployment, on the other hand, involves moving software from one controlled environment to another, such as from development to staging or production environments. It is generally considered the final stage of the software development lifecycle (SDLC) and involves activities like planning deployment, verifying service components, verifying target environments, and executing deployment.

In summary, the main difference between rollout and deploy is that rollout focuses on the gradual release of a new software version or update, while deploy refers to the process of moving software between different environments in the software development lifecycle.

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  • What is the Difference Between Rollout and Deploy?
  • Comparative Table: Rollout vs Deploy

    • Comparative Table: Rollout vs Deploy

    Here is a table comparing the differences between rollout and deployment:

    Feature Rollout Deployment
    Definition Rollout is a gradual process of releasing a software version to a subset of users or environments, allowing for testing and validation before making the software widely available. Deployment is the process of installing a software version in a specific environment, making it ready for use.
    Purpose Rollout enables controlled testing and validation of a software version before making it widely available to users, reducing the risk of exposing users to buggy versions, errors, and issues. Deployment is the last phase of the software development lifecycle (SDLC) and is executed across domains.
    Timeline Rollout typically occurs after the software version has been built and tested, but before it is fully deployed or released. Deployment follows the completion of the rollout, making the software available to users in the target environments.
    Risks Lower risk of exposing users to error-prone builds, as rollout occurs in a controlled environment. Higher risk of exposing users to buggy versions, errors, and issues, especially if the release code is not production-ready.
    Examples Rolling updates in Kubernetes, where new pods are incrementally added and scheduled on nodes with available resources. Blue-green deployments, where two environments are used to switch user traffic over to the new version with no downtime.

    In summary, rollout is a gradual process of releasing a software version to a subset of users or environments for testing and validation, while deployment is the process of installing a software version in a specific environment, making it ready for use. Both rollout and deployment are essential steps in the software development lifecycle, but they serve different purposes and occur at different stages of the process.

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    Guilherme Mazui

    Guilherme Mazui is graduated in journalism from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) and a master's degree in Communication from the University of São Paulo (USP). In addition, he has experience in advertising writing and has worked as a content editor in several companies.