Pre-Deployment Checklist for Web Applications: 20 Items to Check Before Shipping
Going live with a web application is a milestone moment, but it is also a moment of maximum risk. The difference between a successful launch and a public-facing disaster often comes down to the thoroughness of your pre-deployment checks. This checklist covers the 20 critical items you should verify before every production deployment, with free tools from Deployxa that automate most of the checks.
Security Checks (Items 1-6)
1. SSL Certificate Is Valid and Properly Configured
Use the SSL Checker to validate your certificate chain, protocol versions, and cipher suites.
2. SSL Certificate Is Not Expiring Soon
Use the SSL Expiry Monitor to verify at least 30 days remain before expiry.
3. HTTP Security Headers Are Configured
Use the HTTP Security Headers tool to check CSP, HSTS, X-Frame-Options, and other critical headers.
4. CORS Policy Is Correct
Use the CORS Tester to verify your cross-origin configuration works as expected.
5. Environment Variables Are Valid
Use the Environment Variable Validator to check for exposed secrets and missing variables.
6. No Secrets in Source Code
Verify that no API keys, passwords, or tokens are committed to your repository.
DNS and Domain Checks (Items 7-10)
7. DNS Records Resolve Correctly
Use the DNS Lookup to verify A, AAAA, CNAME, and MX records.
8. DNS Changes Have Propagated
Use the DNS Propagation Checker to confirm global propagation.
9. Redirects Are Correct
Use the Redirect Checker to trace redirect chains and verify status codes.
10. Subdomains Resolve Properly
Use the Subdomain Checker to verify subdomain DNS resolution.
Performance Checks (Items 11-14)
11. Page Load Times Are Acceptable
Use the Website Speed Test to measure Core Web Vitals and identify issues.
12. Site Is Accessible from Multiple Locations
Use the Uptime Checker to verify availability from global locations.
13. No Redirect Loops or Chains
Use the Redirect Checker to detect and fix redirect issues.
14. CDN Is Configured Correctly
Use the CDN Checker to verify CDN detection and configuration.
SEO Checks (Items 15-17)
15. Robots.txt Is Valid
Use the Robots.txt Validator to check syntax and directive precedence.
16. Sitemap Is Valid
Use the Sitemap Validator to verify XML formatting and URL accessibility.
17. Meta Tags Are Present
Verify title, description, and Open Graph tags on all pages.
Configuration Checks (Items 18-20)
18. Build Configuration Is Correct
Use the Deployment Readiness Checker to scan for common issues.
19. Node.js Version Is Compatible
Use the Node Compatibility Checker to verify dependency compatibility.
20. Infrastructure Resources Are Adequate
Use the Resource Calculator to ensure you have sufficient CPU, RAM, and bandwidth.
Automate Your Pre-Deployment Checks
Running 20 manual checks before every deployment is tedious and error-prone. The Deployxa tools automate most of these checks, giving you consistent, reliable results every time. When you are ready to deploy, create a free Deployxa account for zero-config deployments with automatic SSL and monitoring.