Discourse Deployment Verification Checklist
Use this checklist to validate your Discourse deployment in each environment.
Infrastructure Verification
Kubernetes Resources
- All pods are in Running state
- All services are correctly created
- Ingress resource is properly configured
- Persistent volume claims are bound
- Resource requests and limits are appropriate
Networking
- Discourse web UI is accessible via configured domain
- HTTPS/TLS is working correctly
- Internal services can communicate
- External resources (email, S3) are accessible
Storage
- PostgreSQL data persistence is working
- Redis data persistence is working
- Discourse uploads are persisted
- Backup storage location is accessible
Application Verification
Basic Functionality
- Admin login works with configured credentials
- Basic site settings are correctly applied
- New user registration works
- Creating topics and posts functions properly
- Search functionality works
Email Functionality
- System emails are being sent
- New user email verification works
- Notification emails are delivered
- Reply by email works (if configured)
Plugin Functionality
- All required plugins are installed
- discourse-solved plugin works (solutions can be marked)
- discourse-voting plugin works (votes can be cast)
- discourse-data-explorer plugin works (queries can be run)
Customization
- Site title is correctly set
- Logo appears correctly
- Theme is applied correctly
- Categories are created as needed
Operational Verification
Monitoring
- Prometheus metrics are being collected
- Grafana dashboards are available
- Alerts are properly configured
- System health can be verified
Backup & Recovery
- Automated backups are running
- Backups can be verified
- Restore process is documented and tested
- Disaster recovery plan is in place
Security
- Admin passwords are strong and secure
- Database passwords are strong and secure
- TLS is properly configured
- Security settings are appropriately set
- Rate limiting is enabled
Performance
- Page load times are acceptable
- Database performance is good
- CPU and memory usage are within expected ranges
- Scaling works if configured
Post-Deployment Verification
Documentation
- Deployment process is documented
- Operational procedures are documented
- User documentation is available
- Troubleshooting guide is created
Training
- Administrators are trained
- Moderators understand their roles
- IT staff know maintenance procedures
- Support process is established
Additional Notes:
- Perform this verification in the development environment first
- Address any issues before proceeding to production
- Re-verify after any significant changes or updates
- Schedule regular reviews of this checklist as part of maintenance