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Keeping software healthy

Software health check

Answer for one specific system, not for your software in general. Be strict: partly is usually a no that has been lucky so far. Nobody sees this but you.

Use the tool

Updates and dependencies
  • Dependencies and frameworks were updated in the past six months
  • The server or platform it runs on still receives security patches
  • You know which parts of the stack are no longer maintained
  • Someone follows the security announcements for this stack
Backups
  • Backups run automatically, without anyone having to remember them
  • A restore was tested in the past year, on a real copy
  • Backups are stored somewhere other than the system itself
  • You know how much data you would lose at most (an hour, a day)
Knowledge and documentation
  • Written documentation exists for setup and deployment
  • More than one person can put a change into production
  • The known workarounds (never click that twice) are written down
  • If the main developer left tomorrow, work could continue within a week
Security basics
  • Every user has a personal account, no shared logins
  • Access for people who left has been removed, and you checked recently
  • Admin accounts require two-factor authentication
  • Passwords and keys live outside the source code
Daily operations
  • You hear about failures from an alert, not from a user
  • The system has an owner, by name
  • A test environment exists, separate from production
  • You know what the system costs per month, everything included
Good to know

How to read the result

  • The no answers are the result

    There is no total score to feel good about. Each no is a thing that will cost you on a bad day.

  • Partly counts against you

    A backup that runs but was never restored is not a backup. If you hesitate, the honest answer is partly.

  • It is a starting point

    Twenty questions cannot audit a system. They tell you where to look first, which is usually enough.

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