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Release Orchestration

The Harness Release Orchestration module helps large organizations coordinate complex cross-team, cross-service releases, ensuring software delivery controllability and visibility.

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Core Features

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Release Coordination

  • Visual Editor: Design complex release workflows
  • Dependency Management: Define release dependency relationships between services
  • Parallel Execution: Support parallel and sequential release stages
  • Dynamic Adjustment: Adjust release strategies at runtime

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Approval Workflow

  • Multi-Level Approval: Support business, technical, security, and other multi-level approvals
  • Auto Approval: Auto-approve based on conditions
  • Time Locks: Set wait times at critical checkpoints
  • Approval Delegation: Support temporary transfer of approval authority

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Release Planning

  • Calendar View: Visual release schedule
  • Resource Allocation: Manage human and material resources involved in releases
  • Risk Assessment: Assess release risk levels
  • Rollback Planning: Preset rollback strategies and trigger conditions

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Visibility

  • Real-Time Status: Track each service’s release status
  • Cross-Team View: Unified view of all teams’ release progress
  • History Records: Complete release history and audit trail
  • Report Export: Export release reports for post-mortems

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Use Cases

ScenarioRelease Orchestration Value
Microservices ReleaseCoordinate release order of multiple services
Infrastructure ChangesManage impact of infrastructure changes
Database MigrationControl database migration and rollback
Cross-Team CollaborationUnified coordination of multiple teams’ work

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Getting Started

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1. Create Release Plan

Define release goals, timeline, and services involved.

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2. Design Release Workflow

Design release workflow using the visual editor: 
[Infrastructure Prep] → [Service A Release] → [Service B Release] → [DB Migration] → [Final Verification]
      ↓                      ↓                     ↓                    ↓
  [Approval]          [Canary Verification]   [Regression Test]    [Approval]

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3. Configure Approval Nodes

Set approvers and approval conditions for each stage.

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4. Execute Release

Start the release workflow and monitor system status.

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5. Complete & Post-Mortem

After release completion, generate release reports and conduct post-mortems.

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Relationship with CI/CD

DimensionCI/CDRelease Orchestration
GranularitySingle serviceEntire system
ScopeBuild and deployBusiness change
ApprovalSimpleMulti-level complex
ViewDeveloperRelease Manager

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Best Practices

  1. Small Batches: Frequent small releases reduce risk
  2. Auto Approval: Auto-approve low-risk changes
  3. Observability: Each stage has clear success criteria
  4. Rollback Ready: Always prepare rollback plans
  5. Clear Communication: Keep all stakeholders informed

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Key Metrics

MetricDescription
Release FrequencyNumber of releases per month/week
Lead TimeTime from code commit to production
MTTRMean Time To Recovery
Change Failure RateRatio of failed changes to total changes