Murphy's Law Technology Examples

Technology fails most dramatically when everyone assumed the system was boring.

Deployment example

The deploy script works every time until the release branch includes a migration, a stale secret, and a Friday afternoon deadline.

Debugging example

The bug disappears while someone is watching and returns after the logs are turned off.

Reduce the risk

  • Make rollback boring.
  • Test backups and restores, not just backups.
  • Keep configuration visible and versioned.

Keep exploring