Notes / Maintenance
A small maintenance window
Small sites still deserve a deliberate deployment routine. Mine fits on one screen.
Before the change
I first save the current document root and web-server configuration in a dated archive. Then I validate the new files locally: internal links must resolve, the JavaScript must parse, and every intended public URL must appear in the sitemap.
During the change
New files are unpacked into a staging directory instead of directly over the live site. The web-server configuration is tested before it is reloaded. Only then does the staged directory replace the live one.
After the change
I request the homepage, a tool page, the status page, and a made-up path to check the custom 404 response. The private workspace gets two checks: an anonymous request must be rejected, and an authenticated request must succeed.
The useful final step
I write down what changed. The note is less exciting than the deployment, but it is usually more valuable at the next maintenance window.