An urgent software update applied directly to production to resolve a critical bug or security vulnerability that cannot wait for the normal release cycle. It bypasses standard development processes for speed.
Compound of 'hot' (urgent, immediate) and 'fix' from Latin 'fixus' (fastened, repaired). The term emerged in the 1990s as software systems became more complex and downtime became increasingly costly for businesses.
Hotfixes are like emergency surgery for software—they save the patient but often leave scars! Most hotfixes are later replaced by more elegant solutions in regular releases, but they're essential for keeping critical systems running when disasters strike.
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