The application is now running in the production mode.

In this chapter, we have described how to create and maintain a production environment. We have also described how to pass code into this environment, and backup and restore both the code and the data that the application generates.

At this stage, we have used simple solutions to get the application into production and have not described in any detail some of the more advanced systems that can be used to automate production roll-out (for example, by using Capistrano) and scaling up the application (for example, by clustering). These systems will be discussed in Chapter 9: Advanced Deployment.

Rory's application is now available to a wider audience. Naively, he thinks that means he is close to completing his task. However, when more users start investigating the application, their reactions and actions are not quite what he expected. He soon realizes that getting the application into production mode is not the end of the story.