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P5. API/backend path

What this page helps you do​

Focus on the launch work that matters most when your product is mainly an API or backend service.

Why it matters​

Backend services can look healthy from the outside right until clients start getting timeouts, auth failures, or bad data.

You should already have​

  • an API or backend service that other apps, clients, or jobs depend on

Skip this page if​

  • the main product is a browser app for end users

Then go to P2. SaaS web app path.

What to do​

Make health checks, logs, and rollback part of the first launch, not a later cleanup.

Common mistakes​

  • shipping without a health endpoint or clear diagnostics
  • exposing admin routes too openly
  • not knowing which clients depend on which environment variables

Next step​

Go to F4. Run your app locally.

Advanced notes​

TODO for contributors: add examples for API auth, rate limiting, and deploy smoke tests.