production · 30 minute study
A release claim needs a source snapshot and an artifact
Connect commits, pull requests, automated checks and deployment evidence so reviewers can tell what changed and what was actually verified.
Useful preparation · 1 prerequisite
Use this as a map, not a lock. If these ideas are familiar, continue.
- Undo a shared change without pretending it never happened — Choose a recovery operation based on what must be preserved: working edits, staged content, published history and other people's later changes.
First, build a mental model
A pull request proposes a specific change. CI produces evidence about the source it tested. A build produces an artifact. Deployment makes a particular artifact available. These are related events, not interchangeable words for done.
- A useful review explains the problem, the resulting behavior, the relevant risks and the checks actually run.
- Inspect the full diff, including migrations, configuration, generated output and dependencies that affect behavior.
- GitHub Actions workflows define triggers, jobs, steps and permissions; a green badge only means those configured checks succeeded under that run's conditions.
- Validate the final candidate after integration, or establish why a previous result still applies. A branch name is not an immutable source identity.
- Record the built commit and deployment result. Keep implemented, tested, built and deployed claims distinct, and respect explicit publication authority.
# On a feature candidate; confirm main is the intended review base.
git status --short
git rev-parse HEAD
git diff --check main...HEAD
# Use the repository's documented release gate; inspect its scripts first.
npm run build
# Record the real exit result and artifact location.
# Creating an artifact is not a production deployment.- Candidate
The reviewed source must be identified, including any local edits beyond HEAD.
- Checks and artifact
The documented command runs its configured gates and produces output only if it actually succeeds.
- Publication
Hosting an artifact is a separate action with its own authorization and evidence.
Production thinking
Take this beyond the example.
Keep release gates focused on material risks, stop optional polishing when the candidate is sufficiently verified and publish only under the agreed authority. Report remaining limitations plainly so the next decision is based on evidence.
Sources and further reading
Your evidence
unseen is a local learning signal, not a credential or proof of production competence.
Explain the mental model, then explicitly acknowledge it. Opening a page is not evidence.
Supported retries can complete this lesson. Independent evidence and delayed review determine the skill stage.