Disaster Recovery Checklist

Document and rank all application servers, primary/standby database nodes, third-party webhook integrations, and object storage buckets by dependency priority.

Define the maximum amount of tolerable data loss (in minutes or hours) for each application state, mapping database replication frequencies to fit these limits.

Define the maximum tolerable downtime duration during a major outage. Verify target database restoration speeds support these timeline constraints.

Verify that daily database base backups and transaction logs are successfully written, encrypted, and synced to offsite destinations weekly.

Check database replica statuses to ensure data is actively streaming to secondary machines with minimal latency (measured in seconds/bytes).

Document step-by-step procedures to adjust domain pointers (A/CNAME records) to secondary standby nodes, or configure automated edge routing.

Ensure administrative passwords, secure SSH keys, and cloud panel API tokens needed for disaster recoveries are safely stored in offline/vault systems.

Draft status templates, user notice emails, partner integration alerts, and internal support pipeline guides to use when systems go offline.

Assign clear technical roles—who is authorized to verify database failure, trigger standby promotion, adjust DNS, and lead recovery checks.

Create checklists to run after restoration: check database queries, test user authentication, verify API webhooks, and ensure log writers are active.