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John  Ajera
John Ajera

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DevOps: Shift Left vs Shift Right – What’s the Difference?

DevOps: Shift Left vs Shift Right – What’s the Difference?

In DevOps, Shift Left and Shift Right are two strategies that help teams improve software quality, but they focus on different stages of development.

Shift Left vs Shift Right

Shift Left focuses on fixing issues early during development. By testing, securing, and reviewing code from the start, teams can avoid problems before they reach production. This approach speeds up development and ensures better quality from the get-go.

Shift Right happens after the software is deployed. It’s about monitoring the software in real use, gathering feedback, and fixing any issues that weren’t caught earlier. This ensures the software works well in real-world conditions.

Key Differences

Aspect Shift Left Shift Right
Focus Fix issues early in development Monitor and improve after deployment
Timing During development After release
Main Goal Prevent issues before release Ensure performance in production
Testing Unit and integration tests Real-time feedback and performance checks
Feedback Early feedback from dev and QA teams Ongoing feedback from real users

Combining Both Approaches

The best teams use both. Shift Left helps catch issues early, while Shift Right ensures the software runs well in the real world. Together, they lead to better, more reliable software.

Conclusion

Shift Left helps teams avoid issues early in development, and Shift Right improves software based on real-world feedback. By using both, teams can deliver high-quality software faster and keep it running smoothly after release.

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