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Canary release

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Also called Phased rollout

Releasing a change to a small group of users first so the team can catch problems before the change reaches everyone.

What it is

A canary release is a cautious rollout strategy. A small percentage of traffic gets the new version first, and the team watches for crashes, slowdowns, or user complaints before expanding it.

When you would use it

You use a canary release when a change could affect many users and you want an early warning if something is wrong.

Common operations

  • Gradual feature launches
  • Risk reduction before full release
  • Monitoring live behavior safely

Related terms

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