Azure deployment checks before and after a release
The calmest deployments are the ones that confirm the basics before a release and prove the basics immediately after. This checklist turns that instinct into a repeatable operator rhythm.
Before release
- Confirm the correct subscription, resource group, app, and slot.
- Review app settings, connection strings, and environment-specific secrets.
- Check whether health endpoints and telemetry ingestion are available.
- Know which logs matter if the app starts failing immediately.
After release
- Hit the health endpoint and compare response timing with your dashboard.
- Tail logs for startup exceptions, config drift, or dependency failures.
- Verify that the correct slot is serving traffic and that sticky settings behaved as expected.
- Run a small set of real journeys: homepage, article page, resume download, telemetry admin login.
What I want to see in telemetry
Successful releases should show stable request timings, normal page views, predictable CTA behavior, and no sudden break in capture for newly added pages or articles. A release is not complete until the product proves it is still observable.