Production checklist

Netlify production checklist: 5 checks before launch

5 checks for running Netlify in production: 3 should-dos and 2 good-to-haves. Each one says why it matters, how to verify it and where the docs are.

Updated . Every check links the vendor’s own docs.

Check my repo

Should do (3)

  • Scope environment variables by deploy context

    Keep production secrets out of deploy previews and branch deploys.

    Verify from the command line

    Compare the production and deploy-preview contexts; secrets should only be set for production.

    netlify env:list --context production
    netlify env:list --context deploy-preview

    Read more on docs.netlify.com

  • Keep secret scanning on and fix what it finds

    Netlify fails the build when a secret value turns up in your code or build output, before it’s published.

    How to verify

    Secret values are marked as secret in Project configuration → Environment variables, and recent deploy logs show the secrets scan passing.

    Read more on docs.netlify.com

  • Send security headers with a _headers file or netlify.toml

    Netlify doesn’t add a Content Security Policy for you.

    Verify with a request

    Request your site and check the headers are there.

    curl -sI https://<your-site> | grep -iE "content-security-policy|strict-transport-security|x-frame-options|x-content-type-options"

    Read more on docs.netlify.com

Good to have (2)

  • Password-protect or restrict deploy previews

    Deploy previews are public URLs by default.

    How to verify

    Project configuration → General → Visitor access: password protection is set for non-production deploys. Open a deploy preview in a private window; it should ask for the password.

    Read more on docs.netlify.com

  • Add rate limiting rules to functions and hot routes

    Stops one client from running up function invocations or hammering a login route.

    Verify from the command line

    Send a burst of requests to a limited route; after the limit you should get 429 responses.

    for i in $(seq 1 30); do curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code} " https://<your-site>/<route>; done

    Read more on docs.netlify.com

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