Handling database migrations in production safely?

Short answer: Apply migrations in CI/CD pipeline with proper backups. Use transactional migrations where supported. Run migrations during maintenance windows. Test migrations in staging before production.

Real-world example (ShopNest)

A ShopNest checkout request flows through middleware, hits a minimal API or controller, uses scoped services, and returns ProblemDetails on errors.

Say this in the interview

1. Define — one clear sentence (the short answer above).
2. Example — relate it to a project like ShopNest or your real work.
3. Trade-off — when you would not use it.