Build once, promote the same bytes
Rebuilding separately for staging and production can produce different bytes. Promote one checksum through environments whenever possible.
LESSON OBJECTIVE
What you will be able to do
Treat a release as one immutable checksum that moves through environments with external configuration.
Keep configuration external
The archive must not contain .env, private keys, local logs, SQLite working data, or deployment history. Supply production secrets at the target.
Define success before uploading
Write measurable checks: correct version, health 200, essential route, writable storage, database reachability, and no debug details.
CHECKPOINT
Before you continue
Can staging and production prove they received the exact same archive bytes?