Glossary
Shadow Deployment
Running a new AI agent version in parallel with the production agent on real incoming requests, with the new version's output discarded rather than served to users. Shadow mode surfaces systematic differences in cost, latency, or quality that unit tests miss. Typically runs 24+ hours before advancing to canary testing.
Shadow mode is the first of four gates in a staged rollout. Teams that skip it usually catch the same problems later, during canary, at a higher cost — with real users already affected.
How is shadow deployment different from canary rollout?
Shadow deployment discards the new version's output entirely — no user ever sees it — while canary rollout serves the new version's output to a small percentage of real users. Shadow comes first specifically because it carries zero user-facing risk; canary is the next gate once shadow testing looks clean.
Where this comes up
How to Roll Out an AI Agent Safely
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