Customer Release Checklist (v1)

Use this as a one-page launch gate before selling or handing off your SaaS built on this starter.

1) Environment baseline

• APP_ENV=production
• APP_DEBUG=false
• APP_URL points to your HTTPS domain
• APP_KEY is set and stable (with APP_PREVIOUS_KEYS if rotating keys)
• SESSION_DRIVER, CACHE_STORE, and QUEUE_CONNECTION are non-ephemeral for production

2) Runtime readiness commands

• php artisan app:check-readiness
• php artisan app:check-readiness --strict
• php artisan billing:check-readiness
• php artisan billing:check-readiness --strict

3) Billing + webhook readiness

• Stripe/Paddle secrets are configured and validated
• Webhook endpoints are reachable:
  • POST /webhooks/stripe
  • POST /webhooks/paddle
• Queue workers are supervised and running continuously
• Failed jobs storage is configured and monitored

4) Security baseline

• HTTPS is enforced at the edge/load balancer
• Session cookies are secure in production (SESSION_SECURE_COOKIE=true)
• CSP posture is explicitly chosen (CSP_ALLOW_UNSAFE_EVAL=true|false)
• Admin access policy is defined (roles, operators, emergency access)

5) Deploy reliability

• php artisan migrate --force rehearsed on staging with production-like data volume
• php artisan config:cache, route:cache, and view:cache succeed in the release artifact
• Rollback plan is documented and tested
• Backups are verified (DB + critical storage paths)

6) Product smoke pass (post-deploy)

• New user registration and login
• Password reset email flow
• Pricing page renders expected plans/providers
• One Stripe test checkout completes and settles
• One Paddle test checkout completes and settles
• Billing portal/invoice links load for paid customers

7) Buyer trust assets

• README matches actual shipped behavior
• Known limitations are documented clearly
• Support contact and response expectations are published
• Changelog/version tag created for this release

For billing-specific deep validation, also run docs/billing-go-live-checklist.md.