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Production Checklist: Are You Ready?

Production is different. Higher stakes. More requirements. This checklist ensures you're ready.

🎯 The Big Picture​

Think of a production checklist like a pre-flight checklist. Pilot checks everything. Engine. Fuel. Systems. That's a production checklist.

Production checklist ensures readiness. Security. Performance. Reliability. Everything checked. Everything ready.

Pre-Deployment Checklist​

Security ✅​

  • Non-root user configured
  • Secrets not in images
  • Images scanned for vulnerabilities
  • Base images updated
  • Read-only filesystem (where possible)
  • Resource limits set
  • Network isolation configured
  • Health checks implemented

Performance ✅​

  • BuildKit enabled
  • Multi-stage builds used
  • Image size optimized
  • Cache mounts used
  • .dockerignore configured
  • Resource limits appropriate
  • Health checks configured

Reliability ✅​

  • Health checks implemented
  • Restart policies set
  • Logging configured
  • Monitoring set up
  • Backup strategy in place
  • Disaster recovery plan ready
  • Documentation complete

Operations ✅​

  • Logging centralized
  • Monitoring configured
  • Alerts set up
  • Runbooks created
  • On-call rotation defined
  • Escalation paths clear

The Pre-Flight Checklist Analogy​

Think of a production checklist like a pre-flight checklist:

Security: Safety systems Performance: Engine check Reliability: Systems check Operations: Crew ready

Once you see it this way, the checklist makes perfect sense.

Dockerfile Checklist​

Your Dockerfile should:

  • Use specific image tags (not latest)
  • Use minimal base images
  • Run as non-root user
  • Use multi-stage builds
  • Optimize layer order
  • Use .dockerignore
  • Remove unnecessary packages
  • Set appropriate labels
  • Use health checks
  • Document with comments

Example:

# Use specific tag
FROM node:18-alpine

# Create non-root user
RUN addgroup -g 1001 -S nodejs && \
    adduser -S nodejs -u 1001

WORKDIR /app

# Optimize layer order
COPY package*.json ./
RUN npm ci --only=production

COPY . .

# Switch to non-root
USER nodejs

# Health check
HEALTHCHECK --interval=30s CMD curl -f http://localhost:3000/health || exit 1

EXPOSE 3000
CMD ["node", "server.js"]

Docker Compose Checklist​

Your Compose file should:

  • No version field (2025 standard)
  • Resource limits set
  • Health checks configured
  • Restart policies set
  • Secrets managed properly
  • Networks isolated
  • Logging configured
  • Environment variables externalized
  • Volumes for persistence
  • Read-only filesystem (where possible)

Example:

services:
  app:
    image: my-app:1.0.0
    user: "1001:1001"
    read_only: true
    tmpfs:
      - /tmp
    deploy:
      resources:
        limits:
          cpus: '1.0'
          memory: 512M
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD", "curl", "-f", "http://localhost/health"]
      interval: 30s
    restart: unless-stopped
    secrets:
      - db_password
    networks:
      - backend

Deployment Checklist​

Before deploying:

  • All tests passing
  • Images scanned
  • Documentation updated
  • Rollback plan ready
  • Monitoring verified
  • Alerts tested
  • Team notified
  • Backup verified

During deployment:

  • Deploy to staging first
  • Verify staging works
  • Monitor metrics
  • Check logs
  • Verify health checks
  • Test functionality

After deployment:

  • Verify production
  • Monitor metrics
  • Check logs
  • Verify alerts
  • Document issues
  • Update runbooks

Real-World Example: Complete Checklist​

Complete production readiness:

Security:

  • ✅ Non-root user
  • ✅ Secrets in secrets manager
  • ✅ Images scanned (no critical/high)
  • ✅ Base images updated
  • ✅ Read-only filesystem
  • ✅ Resource limits
  • ✅ Network isolation

Performance:

  • ✅ BuildKit enabled
  • ✅ Multi-stage builds
  • ✅ Image size: 150MB (optimized)
  • ✅ Cache mounts used
  • ✅ .dockerignore configured
  • ✅ Resource limits appropriate

Reliability:

  • ✅ Health checks (30s interval)
  • ✅ Restart: unless-stopped
  • ✅ Logging: JSON file (10MB, 3 files)
  • ✅ Monitoring: Prometheus + Grafana
  • ✅ Backups: Daily automated
  • ✅ DR plan: Documented and tested

Operations:

  • ✅ Logging: Centralized (ELK)
  • ✅ Monitoring: Full stack
  • ✅ Alerts: Critical issues
  • ✅ Runbooks: Complete
  • ✅ On-call: Defined
  • ✅ Escalation: Clear

Complete. Ready for production.

My Take: Checklist Strategy​

Here's what I do:

Before every deployment:

  • Run through checklist
  • Verify each item
  • Document exceptions
  • Get approval

The key: Don't skip items. Verify everything. Document exceptions.

Memory Tip: The Pre-Flight Checklist Analogy​

Production checklist = Pre-flight checklist

Security: Safety Performance: Engine Reliability: Systems Operations: Crew

Once you see it this way, the checklist makes perfect sense.

Common Mistakes​

  1. Skipping items: Missing critical checks
  2. Not verifying: Assuming it works
  3. No documentation: Can't verify later
  4. Rushing: Missing important items
  5. No exceptions process: Unclear what to do

Key Takeaways​

  1. Use a checklist - Ensures nothing is missed
  2. Verify each item - Don't assume
  3. Document exceptions - Clear what's different
  4. Update regularly - Keep it current
  5. Don't skip - Every item matters

What's Next?​

Now that you have a production checklist, let's see it in action with real-world projects. Next: Real-World Projects.

Remember: Production checklist is like a pre-flight checklist. Check everything. Verify. Document. Don't skip. Ready for production.