A Simpler Way to Handle Post-Production Rollbacks

Introduction: Ever Found Yourself in Rollback Chaos?

Imagine this scenario: You've just confidently pushed the latest update to production. The dashboard lights up green, and everything seems perfect—until it isn't. Suddenly, alerts flood your inbox, and you're scrambling. Your deployment isn’t performing as expected, and the pressure is on to roll it back quickly and confidently.

But rollbacks often aren’t as simple as pressing a button. Traditionally, deployment rollbacks require manual intervention, custom scripts, or careful pre-planning of rollback stages. This complexity slows you down precisely when speed matters most, leaving users frustrated.

How Other Platforms Handle Rollbacks (And Why It Matters)

In many CI/CD platforms, rollbacks can feel clunky and over-engineered. You might find yourself relying on custom scripts, manually configured steps, or entirely separate workflows built just for rollback scenarios. In some cases, rollbacks require predefined pipeline stages, adding more complexity and setup overhead, especially when all you want is a quick return to a stable state.

These approaches often mean extra setup, scripting complexity, or manual intervention—exactly what you don’t want when your service is down and every second counts.

A Better Way: The Simplified API Revolution with Harness

Now imagine a different experience—rolling back your deployment with a single, straightforward API call. No log diving, no dashboard scanning, no chasing down deployment details. Just a clean, simple path back to stability.

That’s precisely what the latest Harness API offers. Instead of complex identifiers, you just provide a few simple parameters

• Environment ID
• Infrastructure ID
• Service ID
• Artifact (optional)

This straightforward approach transforms rollback from a nightmare into a breeze.

The Magic of One API Call

With this new API, all it takes is one simple call, passing just a few familiar identifiers:

curl --location 'https://app.harness.io/ng/api/rollback/trigger/v2?accountIdentifier=string&orgIdentifier=string&projectIdentifier=string' \
--header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
--header 'x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY_HERE' \
--data '{
	"serviceIdentifier": "string",
    "envIdentifier": "string",
    "environmentType": "PreProduction",
    "infraIdentifier": "string",
    "artifact": "string",
    "chartVersion": "string"
   }'

And here's what a successful response looks like:

{
	"status": "SUCCESS",
    "data": {
    "instanceKey": "K8sInstanceInfoDTO_guestbook-ui-blue-67467d95dc-p767r_harness-delegate-ng_gcr.io/heptio-images/ks-guestbook-demo:0.1",
    "infraMappingId": "67c595ec1ace02355e5c4887",
    "planExecutionId": "_rXmrQ7WQMuZTC6smfSDAw",
    "message": null,
    "serviceIdentifier": "ownappservice",
    "envIdentifier": "samplepipeline_env",
    "environmentType": "PreProduction",
    "infraIdentifier": "k8s_infra",
    "rollbackTriggered": true
  },
  "metaData": null,
  "correlationId": "e1bff107-f76b-44aa-89f8-1490b4599d98"
}

This response gives you everything you need: confirmation of success, the relevant instance and infra IDs, and a planExecutionId to track the rollback execution. It’s clear, predictable, and easy to automate.

Just like that—rollback initiated! You receive immediate confirmation, complete with tracking details such as planExecutionId, ensuring transparency every step of the way.

Prefer the UI? Harness Has You Covered!

Harness has your back with a simple, intuitive UI-based rollback option that’s just as powerful. No scripting, no hassle. Here's how you can trigger a rollback in just a few clicks:

1. Navigate to the Deployments tab in your Harness project.
2. Open your Services dashboard.
3. Select the service you'd like to roll back.
4. Click on the View Instances and Rollback button next to it.
5. Choose your rollback target, confirm the details, and hit Rollback.
   
   

That’s it. No YAML, no complex logic—just a smooth path back to stability. For a full walkthrough, check out the official documentation here.

After a rollback, you can easily confirm the successful version and track its status in the Service Dashboard.

What's in it for You? Faster Recovery, Lower Stress

You'll roll back swiftly, minimizing downtime, and immediately pivot to diagnosing what went wrong. This simplified rollback isn’t just about convenience—it’s about gaining peace of mind in your deployments.

Conclusion: Step into Simplicity

Try this simplified rollback once, and you'll never look back. Embrace this new era of efficiency and reclaim your valuable time. This API doesn't just streamline rollbacks—it empowers you to confidently handle whatever production throws your way.

Whether you prefer the command line or the click of a button, Harness has you covered:

• 🔗 Trigger a rollback using the API – full reference
  
  
• 🔗 Rollback a deployment from the UI – step-by-step guide
  
  

And remember, this simplicity is just the beginning. Harness is continuously evolving to make your deployment life smoother, safer, and more reliable than ever before.

Welcome to stress-free rollbacks.