What is a Canary Release?
It is a deployment strategy used to minimize risk.
Definition
A Canary Release is a deployment strategy used in software development to reduce the risk of introducing a new version by initially rolling it out to a small subset of users.
Origin
The name originates from miners who would carry a canary in a cage down coal mines. If toxic gases leaked into the mine, the canary would die before the miners..
Monitoring
The system is carefully monitored for issues, and if the new version performs well, it is gradually released to more users.
Rollback
If issues are detected, the release can be rolled back, and the old version reinstated for all users.
Selection
Different strategies are used to select which users will be exposed to the new version, such as random sampling or selection based on demographics.