Canary deployments in Nginx - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What is a canary deployment?

A canary deployment is a way to release new software to a small group of users first. It helps check if the new version works well before giving it to everyone.

beginner

How does NGINX help with canary deployments?

NGINX can send some user requests to the new version of the app and the rest to the old version. This way, it controls who sees the new release.

beginner

What is the main benefit of using canary deployments?

It reduces risk by testing new changes on a small group first. If problems happen, only a few users are affected, and fixes can be made quickly.

intermediate

In NGINX, which directive can be used to split traffic for canary deployments?

The 'split_clients' directive can divide users into groups to send some to the new version and others to the old one.

intermediate

What is a common way to decide which users get the new version in a canary deployment?

Users can be split by a percentage, like 5% get the new version and 95% get the old one. This is often done using cookies or IP hashing.

What is the main goal of a canary deployment?

A Ignore user feedback

B Test new software on a small user group first

C Remove old software immediately

D Deploy software to all users at once

Canary deployments test new software on a small group before full release.

Which NGINX directive helps split traffic for canary deployments?

A listen

B proxy_pass

C split_clients

D server_name

The 'split_clients' directive divides traffic between versions.

In canary deployments, what percentage of users usually get the new version first?

A 100%

B 0%

C 50%

D A small percentage like 5%

A small percentage like 5% is typical to limit risk.

Why is canary deployment safer than deploying to all users at once?

A It tests changes on a small group to catch problems early

B It ignores errors

C It forces all users to update immediately

D It removes old versions instantly

Testing on a small group helps find issues before full rollout.

Which method can NGINX use to decide which users see the new version?

A Random selection with split_clients

B Always send all users to new version

C Send users based on browser type

D Send users based on screen size

NGINX uses split_clients to randomly assign users to versions.

Explain how NGINX can be configured to perform a canary deployment.

Think about how to split users and send requests to different servers.

Describe the benefits of using canary deployments in software release.

Consider what happens if new software has problems.