Luca BertonThe CRA requires manufacturers to provide free security updates "without undue delay" for the entire support period (minimum 5 years). For software products, this means a robust, secure update delivery infrastructure that works reliably at scale.
Update Infrastructure Requirements
- Cryptographic signing — Every update package signed with the manufacturer's key. Devices verify signatures before installation
- Secure delivery channel — TLS-encrypted distribution with certificate pinning
- Rollback capability — If an update fails or causes issues, automatic rollback to the previous version
- Staged rollouts — Canary deployments to catch issues before full fleet update
- User notification — Inform users about available updates and their security implications
- Automatic updates — Security updates should apply automatically (with user opt-out, not opt-in)
Architecture for Different Product Types
Server/Cloud Software
Container-based deployments with automated rolling updates via Kubernetes. Blue-green deployments for zero-downtime patching. Automated testing gates between staging and production rollout.
Desktop/Mobile Applications
Auto-update frameworks (Sparkle, Electron updater, platform app stores). Delta updates to minimize download size. Background download with user-controlled installation timing.
IoT/Embedded Devices
OTA update platform (Mender, RAUC, SWUpdate). A/B partition schemes for safe updates. Bandwidth-aware scheduling for constrained networks. Offline update capability for air-gapped environments.
Kubernetes Recipes
A practical guide for container orchestration and deployment by Grzegorz Stencel & Luca Berton (Apress).
Watch on Skillshare →The 5-Year Infrastructure Commitment
Your update infrastructure must operate for the entire support period. This means: long-term infrastructure budgeting, CDN and signing key management over years, backwards compatibility testing, and end-of-life communication infrastructure. Plan for this at product launch, not as an afterthought.