quantum-ai/docs/deployment/deployment-checklist.md

Deployment Checklist

Use this checklist to ensure safe and successful deployments to Railway.

Pre-Development Setup ✅

Branch Protection (One-time setup)

• Run ./scripts/setup_branch_protection.sh
• Verify main branch requires PR approval
• Confirm staging branch protection (optional)
• Set development as default branch for PRs

Railway Configuration (One-time setup)

• Production service connected to main branch only
• Staging service connected to staging branch (optional)
• Auto-deploy enabled only for designated branches
• Environment variables configured per environment
• Custom domain configured for production

Development Phase 🛠️

Before Starting Work

• Working on development branch
• Local environment up to date: git pull origin development
• Virtual environment activated
• Dependencies installed: pip install -r requirements.txt

During Development

• Regular local testing: python manage.py runserver
• Use appropriate subagents for specialized tasks:
  • agent-architect for new agents
  • django-expert for Django development
  • security-auditor for security reviews
  • template-optimizer for UI improvements
  • django-debugger for error fixes

Code Quality Checks

• Code follows project conventions
• No hardcoded secrets or API keys
• Environment variables used for configuration
• Error handling implemented
• Input validation in place
• CSRF protection on forms
• Authentication/authorization properly handled

Pre-Staging Deployment 🧪

Code Readiness

• All changes committed to development branch
• Local tests passing: python manage.py test
• Django system check: python manage.py check --deploy
• No migration conflicts
• Static files collection works: python manage.py collectstatic --dry-run

Documentation

• CLAUDE.md updated (if needed)
• Feature documentation added
• API changes documented (if applicable)
• Environment variable changes noted

Database Migrations

• Migrations created: python manage.py makemigrations
• Migration files reviewed for correctness
• Backward compatibility confirmed
• Migration tested locally

Staging Deployment 🎭

Deployment Process

• Merge development → staging
• Push to remote: git push origin staging
• Verify staging deployment successful
• Check staging logs for errors

Staging Testing

• Full application workflow testing
• All agent functionality working
• Payment processing working (test mode)
• File uploads working correctly
• Email functionality working
• Database migrations applied correctly
• Static files serving correctly
• Mobile/responsive design verified
• Cross-browser compatibility checked

Performance Testing

• Page load times acceptable
• Agent processing times normal
• Database query performance good
• No memory leaks or high resource usage

Security Testing

• Authentication working correctly
• Authorization enforced properly
• CSRF protection active
• XSS prevention in place
• File upload security working
• Payment security measures active

Pre-Production Deployment 🚀

Final Approval

• Staging tests completed successfully
• Client/stakeholder approval received
• Security audit passed
• Performance benchmarks met
• All acceptance criteria satisfied

Production Readiness

• Production environment variables ready
• Database backup completed
• SSL certificates valid
• Custom domain configuration ready
• Monitoring and alerting configured

Deployment Strategy

• Rollback plan prepared and tested
• Deployment window scheduled (if needed)
• Team notified of deployment
• Post-deployment verification plan ready

Production Deployment 🎯

Deployment Process

• Create Pull Request: staging → main
• PR review completed and approved
• All CI/CD checks passing
• Merge PR to main branch
• Verify automatic deployment triggered

Post-Deployment Verification

• Application responding correctly
• Health check endpoint working: /health/
• Database migrations applied successfully
• Static files serving correctly
• Custom domain working
• SSL certificate active
• Payment processing working
• Email functionality working

Monitoring

• Application logs monitored for errors
• Performance metrics within normal range
• Error rates within acceptable limits
• User feedback monitored
• Support channels ready for issues

Post-Deployment 📊

Success Confirmation

• All critical user flows tested in production
• Analytics and monitoring data normal
• No critical errors in logs
• Customer support tickets minimal
• Team notified of successful deployment

Documentation Updates

• Deployment notes recorded
• Version/release notes updated
• Any configuration changes documented
• Lessons learned documented

Environment Cleanup

• Development branch updated from main
• Staging branch synced with main
• Feature branches cleaned up (if any)
• Local environment updated

Emergency Procedures 🚨

If Deployment Fails

• Check Railway deployment logs
• Review application error logs
• Verify environment variables
• Check database migration status
• Consider immediate rollback if critical

Rollback Process

• Use Railway dashboard rollback feature, OR
• Git rollback: git reset --hard HEAD~1 and force push
• Verify rollback successful
• Investigate and fix issue
• Plan re-deployment

Communication

• Notify team of deployment status
• Update stakeholders on any issues
• Document any problems encountered
• Plan fixes for next deployment

Environment-Specific Checklists

Staging Environment

• DEBUG=True for better error visibility
• Test Stripe keys used
• Test email configuration
• Staging database used
• Test domain configured

Production Environment

• DEBUG=False for security
• Live Stripe keys configured
• Production email settings
• Production database
• Live domain with SSL
• Performance monitoring active

Tools and Commands

Useful Commands

# Check deployment readiness
python manage.py check --deploy

# Test database connection
python manage.py check_db

# Collect static files
python manage.py collectstatic --noinput

# Run security check
python -m bandit -r . -x ./venv/

# Check for vulnerabilities
pip-audit

Monitoring URLs

• Production: https://www.quantumtaskai.com/health/
• Staging: https://staging-quantumtaskai.railway.app/health/
• Railway Dashboard: https://railway.app/dashboard

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Remember: When in doubt, test on staging first! 🧪