Going live with a rollback ready
This is the seventh step of how we run a Magento project. Before we cut over, we check the store properly: QA, performance, security and accessibility. We write a cutover plan, rehearse it, and keep a way back if anything goes wrong on the day.
The careful part, done carefully
Launch is the point where a lot of projects get rushed, and it is exactly the point where rushing costs the most. So we treat it as its own phase. We test the store against real conditions, tune its performance, review its security, and only then plan the cutover.
The cutover itself is rehearsed on a clone before we touch anything live, and we keep a tested way to roll back. The point is that going live should not come down to hoping it works.
The checks before we cut over
Usually one to two weeks, run by QA and DevOps with you. We do not skip any of these.
QA and accessibility
Functional, regression and cross-browser testing, plus accessibility against WCAG 2.1 AA. Every flow tested with real data, not just the path where everything goes right.
Performance audit
We tune images, lazy loading, critical CSS and the CDN, and load test the store well above the traffic you expect, so the busy day is not the day it falls over.
Security review
An OWASP top ten audit, a dependency scan, admin access controls, SSL configuration and payment compliance. The store does not go public until this is signed off.
Cutover and rollback
A detailed runbook with timing, owners and a communication plan, and a rollback we have tested on a clone first, so reverting is a known step rather than an improvisation.
What you have at launch
You get a QA pass report covering the functional, regression and accessibility results with the serious issues resolved before cutover, a performance report with page-load metrics and server response times to use as benchmarks, a security audit with the scan results and the headers and SSL configured, and a step-by-step cutover runbook with owners, timing, rollback steps and communication checkpoints.
And of course, a live store.
Common questions about this step
How do you handle the cutover?
With a detailed runbook covering timing, owners and communication. We usually run it during low-traffic hours inside a one to two hour maintenance window, with the rollback already tested on a clone.
What is the rollback plan if something goes wrong?
A database snapshot, a DNS rollback and the previous codebase still on the server. If we need to, we can revert in under fifteen minutes.
Do you watch the store after launch?
Yes. The first seven days are watched around the clock by on-call engineering, so issues get caught and fixed before customers run into them.
How long does QA take?
Usually about a week for QA and another three to five days for performance and security, so the whole phase is one to two weeks.
Want a launch you can trust
Tell us where your store is and we will set up a launch readiness review. You will get an honest assessment and a tight cutover plan.