Zero-downtime deploy for magento 2

Updating a Magento 2 website is often met with hesitation by business owners, especially those running large-scale webshops, as it traditionally requires taking the site offline or placing it in maintenance mode for at least 5-10 minutes. Even a relatively short downtime of 10 minutes can lead to lost orders and frustrated customers, which impacts both revenue and customer satisfaction. For larger webshops, where every minute counts, this downtime can have significant consequences. 

We enable zero-downtime deploys

No business wants to risk downtime during a Magento 2 update, no matter the size of the webshop. That’s where our solution comes in. We've developed a unique script that enables zero-downtime deploys for Magento 2 by utilizing a “blue-green” deployment strategy. This technique allows updates to be carried out in the background while the live site remains fully operational. This means that even during critical updates, your webshop stays online, avoiding lost sales and customer frustration. 

The impact of downtime on any webshop 

Downtime can have serious consequences for any e-commerce site. Even a few minutes of unavailability can lead to missed sales, loss of customer trust, and damage to your brand's reputation. For large webshops that receive hundreds or even thousands of visitors per hour, the financial losses from just a few minutes of downtime can be substantial. Downtime also negatively affects search engine optimization (SEO). Search engines like Google prioritize user experience, and frequent website downtime can harm your ranking in search results. 

The impact of downtime on large webshops 

For large webshops with high traffic and constant transactions, downtime can lead to substantial financial losses. Even a brief outage of 5 to 10 minutes can result in missed orders, frustrated customers, and reduced sales. With hundreds or thousands of visitors per hour, the revenue lost during this period can add up quickly. Moreover, downtime can harm customer trust and loyalty, as users may turn to competitors if they encounter an inaccessible website. Additionally, frequent downtime can affect the website’s SEO ranking, further impacting long-term visibility and sales. 

The negative impact of downtime on small webshops 

While larger webshops may lose more in terms of absolute revenue, downtime can be equally, if not more, damaging for smaller webshops. With fewer daily visitors, each customer is critical to the business's success. Losing even a single sale during an outage can represent a significant percentage of daily revenue. Additionally, smaller webshops rely heavily on positive customer experiences and repeat business. If a customer encounters downtime and cannot complete their purchase, they may choose a more reliable competitor, negatively affecting both sales and long-term growth. 

Customer frustration 

When downtime occurs, it often leads to customer frustration. If a customer can’t complete their order, they may abandon their cart, leading to a lost sale. Worse, they might leave your site entirely and shop with a competitor instead. A poor shopping experience due to downtime directly impacts customer satisfaction, and in today's competitive market, customers quickly move to alternative stores. This makes a zero-downtime deployment strategy essential for maintaining customer loyalty. By adopting a zero-downtime deployment strategy, downtime becomes a thing of the past. Customers will never know an update is happening, and your store remains accessible 24/7. 

How do Magento updates normally work? 

Traditionally, a Magento update requires placing the website into maintenance mode, which temporarily prevents customers from accessing the site or completing their purchases. This is because Magento builds can be slow. Multiple steps, such as generating static files and re-indexing the database, must be completed, all of which cause delays. For large stores, even a few minutes of downtime can have immediate financial consequences. Zero-downtime deploys with our script Our zero-downtime deploy script for Magento 2 solves this problem by implementing a “blue-green” deployment strategy. Two environments, “blue” and “green”, are set up simultaneously. While one environment (such as “blue”) is live, the update takes place in the other environment (the “green” environment). Once the update is complete, a symlink is switched, allowing the live site to point to the updated environment. This process is nearly instantaneous, eliminating downtime and allowing updates to be performed in the background without impacting the live store. 

Benefits of zero-downtime deploys 

Our zero-downtime deploy script offers a range of benefits for your Magento 2 website. Here are the five most significant advantages: 

1. Your site remains available at all times - No more downtime due to updates. The biggest advantage of zero-downtime deploys is that your site is always available to customers, preventing lost sales and customer frustration. 
2. Improved customer satisfaction - Customers experience a consistent shopping experience without disruptions. No more downtime means fewer frustrations, leading to increased customer satisfaction and loyalty.
3. Revenue stability - Downtime results in lost sales. This is especially true for large, high-traffic webshops, but even small webshops are affected. Every customer matters. With zero-downtime deploys, you won’t miss out on orders, ensuring stable revenue.
4. Reduced stress for your team - Your staff no longer has to worry about downtime. The team responsible for updates feels less pressure to minimize downtime, reducing the risk of mistakes. Customer service staff will also face fewer complaints from frustrated customers.
5. No negative impact on SEO - Frequent downtime negatively impacts your SEO. With every update, if your site goes offline, it can hurt your search rankings. Our script ensures that your website stays online during updates, protecting your SEO performance. 

Who did we develop our script for?

We developed this script for any webshop owner who regularly experiences downtime due to Magento 2 updates. The zero-downtime deploy script is particularly valuable for larger Magento webshops that just can’t afford to go offline. Webshops with high daily traffic or businesses that operate globally and process orders 24/7 are particularly at risk of lost revenue due to downtime. For these companies, every minute of downtime is a missed opportunity. However, our script is also useful for businesses looking to streamline updates and save time and money through efficient deployment processes. 

How does our script work? 

Our script uses an automated process that ensures Magento builds are completed in a separate environment. Once the build is finished, a symlink is switched to the latest version of the website. While the live environment remains operational, the new version is built in a separate directory. Static files like CSS and JavaScript are generated in the background, ensuring no impact on the live webshop. If necessary, database updates are also handled in the new environment. Once the build is complete, the symlink is switched to the new environment, a process that happens instantly with no downtime. Old builds can be safely removed later to free up disk space. 

Improve your Magento 2 deploy strategy today

Depending on the size of your webshop, traffic, and the nature of your products or services, 5 to 10 minutes of downtime could result in thousands of euros in lost revenue. By eliminating downtime, you not only improve customer satisfaction, but you also protect your revenue and optimize your update processes. 

Are you ready to improve your Magento 2 deployment strategy in a significant way? So are we! We can help you optimize your pipelines and eliminate downtime entirely. Contact us today!