# Canary Deployment

> Gradually roll out new versions to a subset of users

- **Category**: Cloud
- **Subcategory**: gcp
- **Canonical URL**: https://designpattern.fyi/patterns/gcp_deployment_canary/

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## Description
The Canary Deployment pattern gradually rolls out new versions to a subset of users before full deployment. In GKE, this can be implemented using traffic splitting, where a percentage of traffic is routed to the new version. This enables safe deployments with quick rollback if issues are detected.


## Use Cases
Use when you want to safely deploy new versions or when you need to test changes with real traffic before full rollout.





## Trade-offs


### Advantages

- Reduced deployment risk

- Real user testing

- Quick rollback capability

- Gradual exposure of changes




### Considerations & Drawbacks

- More complex deployment process

- Requires traffic management

- Longer deployment timeline







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**Reference**: [Original Source](https://cloud.google.com/architecture/hybrid-multicloud-patterns-and-practices)