| Description |
Maintains two identical environments. Traffic is switched from Blue (live) to Green (new) after testing. Best for high-risk apps needing instant rollback. |
Releases new version to a small user group first to reduce risk. |
Gradually replaces old version with new one without downtime. Best for general-purpose apps. |
Splits traffic by user segments to test new features. Focuses more on user behavior than system functionality. |
| Resource Requirements |
High (requires duplicating the environment) |
Moderate (only a portion of resources are duplicated) |
Low (updates one pod at a time) |
Moderate to High (similar to Blue-Green or Canary) |
| Complexity |
Moderate to High (managing two full environments) |
Moderate (requires careful monitoring and traffic control) |
Low (Kubernetes automates much of the process) |
High (complex criteria for routing and success metrics) |
| Suitability for Large Apps |
Very suitable (full testing before public release) |
Suitable (allows segmental exposure and testing) |
Suitable (steady update with minimal downtime) |
Suitable (tests features by user segments) |
| Speed of Deployment |
Fast (instant switch once version is ready) |
Slow (depends on monitoring/results) |
Moderate (depends on deployment size) |
Variable (depends on test goals/duration) |
| Traffic Routing |
Manual (switch between environments) |
Automated (gradual traffic shift) |
Automated (sequential update) |
Automated and/or Manual (based on user segmentation) |
| Feedback and Metrics |
Direct (from full environment) |
Immediate & continuous (real-time monitoring of changes) |
Continuous (through the update) |
Detailed (based on user interactions) |
| Speed of Rollback |
High control, immediate (switch back to previous environment) |
Fast, low-risk (redirect traffic) |
Slow, complex (sequential revert) |
Fast to Moderate (depends on traffic control setup) |
| Repo Management Complexity |
High (two environments to manage) |
Moderate (managed within single repo or feature branches) |
Low (single process) |
Moderate to High (multiple branches/configurations) |
| Effort (E2E Time) |
High (requires full setup and teardown) |
Moderate to High (monitoring and validation) |
Moderate (continuous updates) |
High (extended behavior analysis/testing) |
| Overall Cost $ |
High (due to duplicated resources and management) |
Moderate to High (monitoring + testing phases) |
Low to Moderate (most efficient) |
High (testing, multiple configs, longer rollouts) |