Module 6: Advanced Workflows & Best Practices

Overview

You've built, deployed, and automated—now let's go pro! This final module transforms your basic setup into a professional-grade deployment pipeline. Learn optimization secrets, team workflows, and advanced techniques that separate hobbyists from professionals.

What You'll Learn

Advanced deployment strategies
Performance optimization techniques
Custom domain and HTTPS setup
Team collaboration workflows
Professional best practices

Prerequisites

Completed Modules 1-5
Working CI/CD pipeline
Live website on Netlify
Ready to level up
40 minutes for mastery

Performance Optimization

Site Speed Matters

Fast sites:

Rank better in search
Keep visitors engaged
Convert more users
Feel professional

Performance Audit

Ask Claude:

⚡ Run a performance audit on my deployed site and explain 
the results. What should I optimize first?

Claude will:

Use Lighthouse
Explain metrics
Prioritize fixes
Guide improvements

Image Optimization

⚡ My images are slowing down my site. Show me how to:
1. Optimize existing images
2. Implement lazy loading
3. Use modern formats
4. Set up responsive images

Learn:

Compression techniques
Format selection (WebP)
Loading strategies
CDN benefits

Advanced Netlify Features

Edge Functions

⚡ What are Netlify Edge Functions and how can they 
improve my site?

Discover:

Server-side logic
Personalization
A/B testing
Geographic routing

Split Testing

⚡ Set up an A/B test to compare two versions of my homepage.

Implement:

Traffic splitting
Performance comparison
Conversion tracking
Data-driven decisions

Build Plugins

⚡ Show me useful Netlify build plugins for my site.

Popular plugins:

Sitemap generation
Lighthouse scores
Image optimization
Security headers

Custom Domain Mastery

Professional URL Setup

⚡ I bought a domain. Walk me through connecting it to 
my Netlify site with HTTPS.

Complete process:

Add domain to Netlify
Configure DNS records
Wait for propagation
Automatic HTTPS
Force HTTPS redirect

DNS Configuration

⚡ Explain DNS settings for my custom domain. What do 
A records and CNAME records do?

Understand:

Record types
Apex domains
Subdomains
WWW handling

Email Setup

⚡ Can I use email with my custom domain while hosting 
on Netlify?

Email options:

Separate email service
MX record configuration
Professional setup

Security Best Practices

Security Headers

⚡ Add security headers to protect my site from common attacks.

Implement in netlify.toml:

[[headers]]
  for = "/*"
  [headers.values]
    X-Frame-Options = "DENY"
    X-Content-Type-Options = "nosniff"
    X-XSS-Protection = "1; mode=block"
    Referrer-Policy = "no-referrer-when-downgrade"

Environment Security

⚡ How do I securely manage API keys and secrets in 
my deployments?

Learn:

Environment variables
Build-time vs runtime
Secret management
Access control

Team Collaboration

Git Flow for Teams

⚡ Design a Git workflow for a team of 3 developers 
working on this site.

Professional workflow:

Main branch protected
Feature branches
Pull requests
Code reviews
Deploy previews
Merge strategies

Code Review Process

⚡ Show me how to set up a code review process using 
GitHub and Netlify deploy previews.

Implement:

PR templates
Review checklist
Deploy preview testing
Approval workflow

Team Permissions

⚡ How do I give team members appropriate access to 
GitHub and Netlify?

Access control:

Repository roles
Netlify team members
Deploy permissions
Security practices

Monitoring and Analytics

Real User Monitoring

⚡ Set up monitoring to track real user experience on my site.

Monitor:

Page load times
User geography
Device types
Error rates

Error Tracking

⚡ How can I know when something breaks on my live site?

Error monitoring:

404 tracking
JavaScript errors
Failed requests
Alert setup

Analytics Integration

⚡ Add privacy-friendly analytics to understand my visitors.

Options:

Netlify Analytics
Plausible
Simple Analytics
Custom solutions

Scaling Strategies

Traffic Handling

⚡ My site is getting popular. How does Netlify handle 
traffic spikes?

Understand:

CDN distribution
Automatic scaling
DDoS protection
Performance guarantees

Global Performance

⚡ How can I ensure fast loading for visitors worldwide?

Optimizations:

CDN locations
Asset optimization
Caching strategies
Geographic routing

Advanced Git Strategies

Monorepo Management

⚡ I want to manage multiple related sites in one repository. 
Show me monorepo setup with Netlify.

Learn:

Repository structure
Build configuration
Deploy contexts
Shared resources

Git Hooks

⚡ Set up Git hooks to enforce code quality before pushing.

Implement:

Pre-commit checks
Linting
Format validation
Test running

Documentation Excellence

README Best Practices

⚡ Create a professional README that documents:
- Project overview
- Setup instructions
- Deployment process
- Contributing guidelines
- Architecture decisions

Deployment Docs

⚡ Document our deployment pipeline so new team members 
can understand it quickly.

Include:

Architecture diagram
Workflow explanation
Troubleshooting guide
Best practices

Cost Optimization

Understanding Limits

⚡ What are Netlify's free tier limits and when would 
I need to upgrade?

Free tier includes:

100GB bandwidth
300 build minutes
Unlimited sites
When to upgrade

Optimization Tips

⚡ How can I minimize bandwidth usage and build minutes?

Strategies:

Asset optimization
Build caching
Selective builds
CDN usage

Professional Workflows

Staging Environments

⚡ Set up a staging environment for testing before 
production deployment.

Implement:

Staging branch
Password protection
Environment parity
Testing workflow

Feature Flags

⚡ Implement feature flags to control feature rollout.

Techniques:

Build-time flags
Runtime switches
Gradual rollout
Quick rollback

Disaster Recovery

Backup Strategies

⚡ How do I backup my site and ensure I can recover 
from disasters?

Backup plan:

Git repository
Deploy history
Asset backups
Database exports

Incident Response

⚡ Create an incident response plan for when things go wrong.

Plan includes:

Alert detection
Response steps
Communication
Post-mortem

Checkpoint Task

Your Mission

Implement professional-grade deployment:

Performance Optimization
- Run Lighthouse audit
- Optimize images
- Implement caching
- Achieve 90+ score
Security Hardening
- Add security headers
- Configure HTTPS properly
- Secure environment variables
- Test security posture
Team Workflow
- Document Git flow
- Create PR template
- Set up code review process
- Define team roles
Monitoring Setup
- Enable analytics
- Configure error tracking
- Set up alerts
- Create dashboard
Professional Polish
- Custom domain (if available)
- Professional README
- Deployment documentation
- Optimization checklist

Success Criteria

✅ Performance score 90+
✅ Security headers active
✅ Team workflow documented
✅ Monitoring configured
✅ Professional deployment

Course Completion

What You've Achieved

From zero to professional:

AI-Powered Development - Claude Code mastery
Version Control - Git confidence
Cloud Collaboration - GitHub fluency
Instant Deployment - Netlify expertise
Continuous Delivery - Automated pipeline
Professional Practices - Industry standards

Your New Powers

Build websites with AI assistance
Deploy changes in seconds
Collaborate with teams
Handle production traffic
Implement best practices

Portfolio Ready

You now have:

Live website
GitHub profile
Deployment skills
Professional workflow
Industry knowledge

Beyond This Course

Next Learning Paths

Explore:

React/Vue/Angular frameworks
Backend development
Database integration
API development
Cloud platforms

Joining the Community

Contribute to open source
Share your projects
Help others learn
Build your network
Keep learning

Staying Current

⚡ How do I stay updated with web development trends 
and new Claude Code features?

Resources:

Developer newsletters
Tech podcasts
Community forums
Documentation updates

Final Thoughts

From Beginner to Builder

You started knowing nothing about:

Terminal commands
Git workflows
Deployment pipelines
Professional practices

Now you're deploying like a pro!

The Journey Continues

This isn't the end—it's your beginning as a modern web developer. Every site you build, every deployment you push, every workflow you optimize makes you better.

Thank You

Thank you for joining this AI-powered web deployment journey. Now go build something amazing and share it with the world!

Congratulations! You've completed the AI-Powered Web Deployment learning path! 🎉

Your next deployment awaits. What will you build?

Advanced Deployment Workflows and Best Practices

Prerequisites

Next Steps

Your Progress