Deployment frequency is a DORA metric that indicates to the speed at which new code changes are released to production. A high deployment frequency indicates that the team is able to quickly implement and test changes, while a low deployment frequency could signal bottlenecks in the development or deployment process.
For instance, a team that practices continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) is likely to have a high deployment frequency, pushing small, incremental changes to production multiple times a day, event on Fridays. On the other hand, a team that follows slower release cycles, where updates are bundled and released less frequently, are likely to have a lower deployment frequency.
Explore related concepts
Continuous Integration
The practice of frequently integrating code changes into a repository, where automated tests are run to validate these changes. This enable early detection of issues and ensures that the codebase is always in a working state.
Continuous Deployment
The practice of automatically deploying code changes to production as soon as they are ready, without the need for manual intervention.
Zero-Downtime Deployment
Zero-Downtime Deployments are the process of updating an application without causing any disruption to the end users. This is achieved by gradually shifting user traffic from the old version to the new version, ensuring a transition without disrupting the live service.