Deployment Windows & Release Policy¶
This page outlines when platform updates and new development can be released to production. These rules exist to protect platform stability during critical business periods.
Peak Season Freeze - October 1 to January 1¶
No large-scale development will be deployed to production between October 1st and January 1st, regardless of whether the work has been completed and tested.
This period covers the peak gifting season - including Melbourne Cup, Black Friday, Christmas, and New Year - when platform stability is critical and the risk of any disruption to brands and their customers is at its highest.
What is considered large-scale development?¶
Large-scale development includes any of the following:
- New features or significant changes to existing features
- Architectural or infrastructure changes
- Database migrations or schema changes
- Third-party integration updates
- Any change that meaningfully alters how the platform behaves for brands or recipients
What is still permitted during the freeze?¶
The following may still be deployed during the freeze period with appropriate care and testing:
- Critical bug fixes - where a live issue is actively impacting brands or recipients
- Security patches - where a vulnerability requires immediate remediation
- Minor copy or content changes - that carry no functional risk
When in doubt, don't ship
If there is any uncertainty about whether a change is safe to deploy during the freeze period, the default position is to hold it until after January 1st.
Outside the Freeze Period¶
Outside of the October 1st – January 1st window, deployments should follow the standard workflow outlined in Git Branching & Deployment Workflow.
Exceptions¶
Any exception to the freeze policy must be approved by the CTO before deployment proceeds. If an exception is granted, the change must still go through the full staging and testing process before being pushed to production.