release-process: Add CHECKLIST.md

closes: #999
Signed-off-by: knrt10 <[email protected]>

docs/release-process/CHECKLIST.md

@@ -0,0 +1,84 @@
+## Check list
+
+This section shows what things you need to do before creating a release. This is a manual process as CI does not test everything.
+
+The following example assumes we’re going from version 0.1.0 (`v0.1.0`) to
+0.2.0 (`v0.2.0`).
+
+- Checkout to old release tag
+  - e.g. `git checkout v0.1.0`
+
+- Build `lokoctl` binary from the last release
+  - e.g. `make build`
+  - Copy `lokoctl` binary to your assets directory.
+
+- Deploy `lokomotive` with old release
+  - e.g. `./lokoctl cluster apply`
+  - Deploy a single cluster(controller node) first.
+
+- Configure env variable `$KUBECONFIG` as per your assets directory location.
+
+- Make sure all nodes healthy and all Pod are running.
+  - e.g. `kubectl get po -A && kubectl get no`
+
+- Delete the old `lokoctl` binary.
+
+- Checkout to latest `master` branch. Make sure you have the latest code fetched and rebased.
+  - e.g. `git checkout master && git fetch origin && git rebase origin/master`
+  - Build lokoctl binary from latest master `make build`
+
+- Copy `lokoctl` binary to your assets directory and re-apply the cluster
+  - e.g. `./lokoctl cluster apply`
+
+- Make sure all nodes healthy and all Pod are running.
+  - e.g. `kubectl get po -A && kubectl get no`
+
+### Components test
+
+This sections checks if components work as desired. 
+
+- Check all certificates are valid
+  - e.g. `kubectl get certificates -A`
+  - Certificates for all your components are valid.
+
+- Check external IP is assigned to contour service. This will verify that MetalLB is assigning IP to service of type `LoadBalancer`.
+  - `kubectl get svc -n projectcontour`
+
+- Check routes are added to AWS for your components. If you have used route53 DNS provider, you can check them [here](https://console.aws.amazon.com/route53/v2/home#Dashboard). Make sure to check the correct hosted zone.
+
+- Check Gangway Ingress Host URL that you have configured works fine.
+
+- Check httpbin Ingress Host URL that you have configured works fine.
+
+- Do some **blackbox testing** by sending HTTP requests through MetalLB + Contour + cert-manager.
+
+- Check metrics for your cluster by going to Prometheus Ingress Host URL.
+
+- Check velero component works fine, by testing it for a namespace.
+  - Run the following commands: 
+  ```sh
+  # Create test namespace.
+  kubectl create ns test
+
+  # Create a serviceaccount.
+  kubectl create sa test
+
+  # Create velero backup.
+  velero backup create serviceaccount-backup --include-namespaces test
+
+  # Delete namespace test.
+  kubectl delete ns test
+
+  # Restore namespace using velero.
+  velero restore create --from-backup serviceaccount-backup
+
+  # Check serviceaccount test exist.
+  kubectl get sa test
+
+  ```
+
+- Check web-ui Ingress Host URL that you have configured works fine. 
+
+**IMPORTANT**: Follow the whole process again with multi-cluster (controller node).
+
+If everything works fine, continue with the release process.

docs/release-process/RELEASING.md

@@ -25,6 +25,8 @@ for details on how to identify what the next version should be.
   - `git clean -ffdx && make all` should work.
   - CI should be green.
 
+- Follow manual [checklist](CHECKLIST.md) before making a release and ensure everything works fine.
+
 - Update the [release notes](../../CHANGELOG.md). Try to capture most of the salient
   changes since the last release, but don't go into unnecessary detail (better
   to link/reference the documentation wherever possible).