---
title: "Instant Rollbacks on Launch"
description: "Learn how to instantly roll back to a selected successful previous deployment on Launch without rebuilding, ensuring faster recovery and minimal downtime."
url: "https://www.contentstack.com/docs/launch/instant-rollbacks"
product: "Contentstack"
doc_type: "guide"
audience:
  - developers
  - admins
version: "current"
last_updated: "2026-06-23"
---

# Instant Rollbacks on Launch

Instant Rollbacks on Launch allow you to **revert your application to a selected previous successful deployment** without triggering a rebuild.

Use Instant Rollbacks to:

*   Recover quickly from problematic releases
*   Reduce downtime
*   Maintain application stability

## How Instant Rollbacks Work

![Launch\_Rollbacks\_Flowchart.png](https://images.contentstack.io/v3/assets/blt2d43f51baca745a8/bltf3980d43ed5c61bf/6a02f9a72537497d5de52b22/Launch_Rollbacks_Flowchart.png)

Every deployment on Launch goes through the following lifecycle:

*   **QUEUED → DEPLOYING → LIVE:** Normal deployment flow.
*   **FAILED or CANCELLED:** Deployment did not complete successfully and **cannot be used for rollback**.
*   **ARCHIVED:** When a new deployment goes LIVE, the previous LIVE deployment becomes ARCHIVED. These ARCHIVED deployments are the **only candidates for rollback**.

When a new deployment goes LIVE:

*   The previous LIVE deployment becomes **ARCHIVED**.
*   A limited number of recent **ARCHIVED** deployments are available for rollback.

## Rollback Eligibility

You can roll back only to deployments that meet all of the following conditions:

Condition

Details

ARCHIVED state

Only previously LIVE deployments (now archived) can be used for rollback.

Within the retention window

Only a limited number of recent deployments are retained based on your plan.

Infrastructure is still available

The deployment's assets and resources must still exist. Older deployments may be cleaned up automatically.

## Retention Window

Launch retains a limited number of previous deployments for rollback. Only deployments within this window are available for rollback.

The following Rollback Retention window tiers are available on Launch:

Rollback Tier

Retention Window Count

Free (Default)

1

Self-Serve

3

Enterprise

5

The Retention window starts with Free Tier by default, but you can request an upgrade in the plan as per the use case.

To request a tier change, contact our [Support](mailto:support@contentstack.com) team.

**Note:** After modifying the tier, the updated retention window takes effect starting from the next deployment. Contentstack does not retroactively adjust previously retained deployments.

## Performing a Rollback

To perform a rollback, follow the steps below:

1.  On your Deployments screen, click **Rollback Deployment**.
2.  In the modal that appears, select an eligible previous deployment and click **Review Rollback**. ![Launch\_Rollbacks\_Select\_and\_Review.png](https://images.contentstack.io/v3/assets/blt2d43f51baca745a8/bltb5271ad10cc92175/6a01bb63129bb7b401f16160/Launch_Rollbacks_Select_and_Review.png)
3.  You can enter the reason for rollback, if any. Then click **Confirm & Roll Back** to proceed with the rollback. ![Launch\_Rollbacks\_Confirm\_Rollback.png](https://images.contentstack.io/v3/assets/blt2d43f51baca745a8/bltdbb44a7617b42de0/6a01bb639b2d92c3764bf29a/Launch_Rollbacks_Confirm_Rollback.png)

You can find the rollback details as shown below:

*   **Deployment History** ![Launch\_Rollbacks\_DeploymentHistory.png](https://images.contentstack.io/v3/assets/blt2d43f51baca745a8/bltd39b645811abec5f/6a01bb635e6fea642aba173c/Launch_Rollbacks_DeploymentHistory.png)
*   **Current Deployment** ![Launch\_Rollbacks\_DetailsCurrentLatestDeploy.png](https://images.contentstack.io/v3/assets/blt2d43f51baca745a8/blta0220df6dfd5f766/6a01bb633d39f2f5f82a38e1/Launch_Rollbacks_DetailsCurrentLatestDeploy.png)
*   **Rolled Back Deployment** ![Launch\_Rollbacks\_DetailsPreviousLatestDeploy.png](https://images.contentstack.io/v3/assets/blt2d43f51baca745a8/blt8969c89dd33e30fe/6a01bb63f4dd122ce294fcf3/Launch_Rollbacks_DetailsPreviousLatestDeploy.png)

## What Happens During Rollback

*   **Your application is restored to a previous working version:** The selected deployment becomes the active version of your site.
*   **The current version is preserved:** The version you were using is not lost and can be accessed again if needed.
*   **Traffic is redirected promptly:** Users start seeing the restored version within seconds.
*   **Cached content is refreshed:** Any cached content is updated to ensure users see the correct version.

**Note:** Auto-deployments triggered by commits, webhooks, or automations continue to run during a rollback. We recommend disabling them before you begin to avoid unintended deployments.

## Failure Handling

The rollback process includes the following safeguards:

*   **If the selected deployment is not eligible, the rollback does not start:**  
    This prevents switching to an invalid or incomplete version.
*   **If something goes wrong during rollback, your site remains stable:**  
    Launch ensures that your application continues serving a consistent version and avoids partial or broken states.