What's the difference between a rollback and a hotfix?

A rollback reverts to the previous known-good version, undoing the bad update entirely, fast and certain for stopping damage, but it loses the update's good changes and isn't always supported by your platform. A hotfix ships a new fix forward to address the specific problem while keeping the update's other changes, precise but slower (it requires diagnosing and patching). Rollback undoes wholesale; a hotfix fixes precisely.

Should I roll back or hotfix a bad update?

Choose by speed, the problem, and your platform. Roll back when you need players on a working version immediately and rollback is supported, it's often fastest for stopping serious damage, since it removes the problem without needing to diagnose it first. Hotfix when the issue is contained and quick to patch, when you want to keep the update's other good changes, or when rollback isn't available. Often the best path is rollback now to stop the bleeding, then fix forward properly later.

Is a rollback faster than a hotfix?

Usually yes, when it's supported. A rollback just reverts to the previous known-good version, immediately returning players to working software without needing to diagnose or fix the new problem first. A hotfix requires understanding the issue and shipping a patch, which takes longer. So rollback is typically the faster way to stop serious damage, though it loses the update's good changes and depends on your platform supporting it. A hotfix is more precise but slower.

Rollback vs Hotfix

Quick answer: A rollback reverts to the previous known-good version; a hotfix ships a new fix forward. Rollback is often faster for stopping the bleeding; a hotfix is better when the issue is contained and quick to patch.

When an update goes bad, you choose between rolling back and hotfixing forward, two recovery strategies with different trade-offs. The right one depends on the situation. Here's the comparison.

What a Rollback Does

A rollback reverts to the previous known-good version, undoing the bad update entirely. Its strength is speed and certainty: you immediately return players to a version you know works, stopping the bleeding while you diagnose calmly. Rollback doesn't require understanding or fixing the new problem first, it just removes it.

Bugnet's per-version crash tracking tells you which version was last good, so you know what to roll back to. The trade-off is you lose whatever good changes the update also contained, and rollback isn't always supported by your platform. Rollback is the fast way to undo a bad update wholesale.

What a Hotfix Does

A hotfix ships a new fix forward, an out-of-band patch addressing the specific problem while keeping the update's other changes. Its strength is precision: you fix just the issue without undoing everything, retaining the good parts of the update. But it requires diagnosing the problem and shipping a fix, which takes longer than reverting.

Bugnet's grouped, contextualized crashes help you diagnose fast so you can hotfix. The trade-off is time and risk: a hotfix takes longer than a rollback and carries its own risk of introducing new problems. Hotfixing is the precise way to fix a bad update while keeping its good changes.

Which to Choose

Choose by speed, the problem, and your platform. Roll back when you need players on a working version immediately and rollback is supported, it's often fastest for stopping serious damage. Hotfix when the issue is contained and quick to patch, when you want to keep the update's other changes, or when rollback isn't available.

Bugnet's fast detection (per-version tracking) supports either decision. So decide per incident: rollback to quickly undo a bad update wholesale and stop the bleeding, or hotfix to precisely fix the problem while keeping the good changes, based on which is faster and whether your platform supports rollback. Often the choice is rollback now to stop damage, then fix forward properly later.

A rollback reverts to the previous known-good version (fast, undoes wholesale); a hotfix ships a fix forward (precise, keeps good changes, but slower). Choose by speed, the problem, and platform support.