Web Server Rescue
Read-onlyCheck the Current Release Symlink
A deploy uses a current symlink and you need to verify the active release.
Command
readlink -f releases/current && ls -ld releases/currentBefore you run this
System impact: Read-only. Low when scoped to the shown target.
When not to use it: Do not use it if your platform does not use release directories or symlinks.
Expected output
The absolute path of the active release and the symlink metadata.
System impact
Read-only. Nothing changes. The command resolves and displays the symlink.
Recovery / rollback: no state is changed.
When to use it
Use after deploys, rollbacks, or suspicious version mismatches.
When not to use it
Do not use it if your platform does not use release directories or symlinks.
next steps
Related commands
Check the Nginx Site Symlink Target
Verify which release or document root symlink Nginx is serving before changing deploy links.
readlink -f /srv/www/example.com/current
Exclude the Current Release from Cleanup
Release cleanup should prove what current points to before listing old directories.
current=$(readlink -f /home/deploy/current); find /home/deploy/releases -mindepth 1 -maxdepth 1 -type d ! -samefile "$current" -printf '%TY-%Tm-%Td %p\n' 2>/dev/null | sort
Inspect Release Disk Usage
Disk pressure during deploys often starts in old release directories.
du -sh releases/* 2>/dev/null | sort -h | tail -10
Check Filesystem Space with df
A full disk can break logins, uploads, databases, and deploys.
df -h
Check the Active Release Symlink
Git may say one thing while the release pointer serves another.
readlink /srv/www/example/current && cat /srv/www/example/current/VERSION
Study mapping
Use this as independent command practice: read the notes, predict the output, then compare it with the example before using a real shell.
Independent study support only. No affiliation, endorsement, exam dumps, or real exam questions.