Answers
What is blue-green deployment?
In short
Blue-green deployment runs two production environments — one live, one idle — and cuts over traffic instantly, allowing fast rollback if the new version fails.
Short answer
Blue-green deployment runs two production environments — one live, one idle — and cuts over traffic instantly, allowing fast rollback if the new version fails.
What this actually means in practice
It's safer than rolling deploys but more expensive (you pay for two environments). Most teams use rolling or canary deploys for most services and reserve blue-green for high-risk releases or database-coupled cutovers.
The most common pitfall
Calling rolling deploys 'blue-green' because the marketing site does.
What to do next
Document your actual deployment pattern and align team language to reality.
Frequently asked questions
Does Forth Systems help with this?
Yes — Forth Systems works with banks, payment institutions, insurers and infrastructure operators on exactly this kind of work. Engagements start with a fixed-scope assessment so you see the shape before committing.
How experienced is the team?
Engagements are staffed by named, UK-based senior engineers — not a rotating offshore pool. References from the second line of comparable clients are available on request.
Where are you based?
Edinburgh-based, delivering UK-wide with onsite presence in London and across Scotland as required.
How fast can we start?
Most engagements start within 2-4 weeks of a signed SoW, faster where an existing supplier framework is in place.