Blue-Green Deployment is a deployment strategy that minimizes downtime and risk during software releases by using two identical production environments, referred to as Blue and Green.
How does it work?
- Active Environment: One environment, e.g., Blue, is live and handles all user traffic.
- Preparing the New Version: The new version of the application is deployed and tested in the inactive environment, e.g., Green, while the old version continues to run in the Blue environment.
- Switching Traffic: Once the new version in the Green environment is confirmed to be stable, traffic is switched from the Blue environment to the Green environment.
- Rollback Capability: If issues arise with the new version, traffic can be quickly switched back to the previous Blue environment.
Advantages:
- No Downtime: Users experience no disruption as the switch between environments is seamless.
- Easy Rollback: In case of problems with the new version, it's easy to revert to the previous environment.
- Full Testing: The new version is tested in a production-like environment without affecting live traffic.
Disadvantages:
- Cost: Maintaining two environments can be resource-intensive and expensive.
- Data Synchronization: Ensuring data consistency, especially if the database changes during the switch, can be challenging.
Blue-Green Deployment is an effective way to ensure continuous availability and reduce the risk of disruptions during software deployment.
