Which deployment strategy should be used to reduce user impact when deploying a new application version?

Canary deployment is a strategy that involves releasing a new version of an application to a small subset of users before rolling it out to the entire user base. This approach allows developers to monitor the new version's performance and behavior in a production environment while minimizing potential negative impacts on users. By gradually exposing the application to more users, developers can identify issues and bugs early on without affecting all users at once.

This strategy provides a safety net; if problems arise, it is easier to roll back the changes for just the small group of users who were using the new version, thus protecting the majority of users who are still on the previous, stable version. As data and feedback are gathered from the initial users, the deployment can be adjusted accordingly, ensuring that any critical issues are addressed before full-scale deployment.

In contrast, other deployment strategies like blue/green deployments or rolling deployments have their own advantages but may not offer the same level of controlled testing and feedback as canary deployments. Blue/green deployments involve running two separate environments where one is active while the other is inactive, which may not allow for immediate feedback from a small group of users. Rolling deployments gradually replace instances of the previous version with the new one, but they don’t specifically focus on limited exposure