Most production bugs are not clever. They are a template that no longer compiles, a link nobody clicked, or a server that is still running last week's code. A short, boring checklist catches nearly all of them. Here is the one we use for this site.
1. Build and test
npm run build npm test node --check public/developingthemesdot.js
The build compiles every view, so a template typo fails here instead of in front of a reader. The test suite covers CMS storage, publishing, the visual builder, and plugin handling. A syntax check on browser scripts catches errors that the server never sees.
2. Restart, then look at the real thing
Node keeps loaded code in memory. If you changed a route, controller, or service, restart the server before testing, or you will be checking old behavior. Then open the pages readers actually use:
- The home page and the News feed.
- At least one article, including its comments form.
- A category archive.
- The About and Contact pages, including a contact form submission.
- A URL that does not exist. You should see the 404 page, not an error.
3. Try to break the interactive parts
- Search for a word that matches nothing and confirm the empty state appears.
- Combine a category filter with the saved-only toggle.
- Toggle dark mode and reload. The choice should persist.
- Submit forms with missing or invalid fields.
4. Check small screens and keyboards
Narrow the window to phone width and look for horizontal scrolling, overlapping text, and tables that overflow. Then put the mouse away. Tab through each page and confirm every control can be reached, the focus outline is always visible, and the order makes sense.
5. Review production settings
6. Keep a way back
Create a backup from the CMS Backups screen before deploying. On cPanel, the included deployment script preserves .env, storage/, and uploads, and it can roll back to the snapshot taken before the last deploy:
bash deployment/deploy.sh bash deployment/deploy.sh rollback
7. Verify after release
Open /health and confirm that it reports status ok. Then load the home page and one article on the live site. Small checks after release catch problems caused by the server environment, which no local test can find.
Copy this list into your project's README or release notes and tick it off every time. A checklist only works if you run it when you are sure nothing has changed.
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