diff --git a/app/controllers/async_info_controller.rb b/app/controllers/async_info_controller.rb
index 87a1ed8e8..8ae8e3744 100644
--- a/app/controllers/async_info_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/async_info_controller.rb
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ class AsyncInfoController < ApplicationController
     set_surrogate_key_header "shell-version-endpoint"
     # shell_version will change on every deploy.
     # *Technically* could be only on changes to assets and shell, but this is more fool-proof.
-    shell_version = ApplicationConfig["RELEASE_FOOTPRINT"] + SiteConfig.admin_action_taken_at.to_s
+    shell_version = ForemInstance.deployed_at + SiteConfig.admin_action_taken_at.to_s
     render json: { version: shell_version }.to_json
   end
 
diff --git a/app/helpers/application_helper.rb b/app/helpers/application_helper.rb
index 4f9ba680e..e51823fc1 100644
--- a/app/helpers/application_helper.rb
+++ b/app/helpers/application_helper.rb
@@ -176,7 +176,7 @@ module ApplicationHelper
   end
 
   def release_adjusted_cache_key(path)
-    release_footprint = ApplicationConfig["RELEASE_FOOTPRINT"]
+    release_footprint = ForemInstance.deployed_at
     return path if release_footprint.blank?
 
     "#{path}-#{params[:locale]}-#{release_footprint}-#{SiteConfig.admin_action_taken_at.rfc3339}"
diff --git a/app/models/forem_instance.rb b/app/models/forem_instance.rb
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..c37f5a6c0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/models/forem_instance.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+class ForemInstance
+  def self.deployed_at
+    @deployed_at ||= ApplicationConfig["RELEASE_FOOTPRINT"].presence || ENV["HEROKU_RELEASE_CREATED_AT"].presence
+  end
+
+  def self.latest_commit_id
+    @latest_commit_id ||= ApplicationConfig["FOREM_BUILD_SHA"].presence || ENV["HEROKU_SLUG_COMMIT"].presence
+  end
+end
diff --git a/app/views/admin/admin_portals/index.html.erb b/app/views/admin/admin_portals/index.html.erb
index f05e447c1..3aed91fa0 100644
--- a/app/views/admin/admin_portals/index.html.erb
+++ b/app/views/admin/admin_portals/index.html.erb
@@ -2,11 +2,11 @@
   <div class="tag-card crayons-card p-4 m:p-6 m:pt-4 mb-4 flex flex-row relative">
     <div class="mr-8">
       <div class="crayons-field__description">Last deployed</div>
-      <div><%= ApplicationConfig["RELEASE_FOOTPRINT"].presence || ENV["HEROKU_RELEASE_CREATED_AT"].presence || "Not Available" %></div>
+      <div><%= ForemInstance.deployed_at || "Not Available" %></div>
     </div>
     <div>
       <div class="crayons-field__description">Latest Commit ID</div>
-      <div><%= ApplicationConfig["FOREM_BUILD_SHA"].presence || ENV["HEROKU_SLUG_COMMIT"].presence || "Not Available" %></div>
+      <div><%= ForemInstance.latest_commit_id || "Not Available" %></div>
     </div>
   </div>
 
diff --git a/app/views/layouts/admin.html.erb b/app/views/layouts/admin.html.erb
index 63b4bf5e3..0323f3f38 100644
--- a/app/views/layouts/admin.html.erb
+++ b/app/views/layouts/admin.html.erb
@@ -26,7 +26,8 @@
 </head>
 <body class="admin default-header"
   data-honeybadger-key="<%= ApplicationConfig["HONEYBADGER_JS_API_KEY"] %>"
-  data-release-footprint="<%= ApplicationConfig["RELEASE_FOOTPRINT"] %>"
+  data-deployed-at="<%= ForemInstance.deployed_at %>"
+  data-latest-commit-id="<%= ForemInstance.latest_commit_id %>"
   data-ga-tracking="<%= SiteConfig.ga_tracking_id %>">
   <header class="crayons-header" role="banner">
     <div class="crayons-header__container">
diff --git a/app/views/liquid_embeds/show.html.erb b/app/views/liquid_embeds/show.html.erb
index 9437efe71..c0c1396bc 100644
--- a/app/views/liquid_embeds/show.html.erb
+++ b/app/views/liquid_embeds/show.html.erb
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 <base target="_parent">
-<% cache "liquid_tag_styles_#{ApplicationConfig['RELEASE_FOOTPRINT']}", expires_in: 8.hours do #TODO: Render specific ltag class instead of everything %>
+<% cache "liquid_tag_styles_#{ForemInstance.deployed_at}", expires_in: 8.hours do #TODO: Render specific ltag class instead of everything %>
   <style><%= Rails.application.assets["ltags/LiquidTags.css"].to_s.html_safe %></style>
 <% end %>
 <% begin %>
diff --git a/app/views/shell/_bottom.html.erb b/app/views/shell/_bottom.html.erb
index f61af0a02..8013b6824 100644
--- a/app/views/shell/_bottom.html.erb
+++ b/app/views/shell/_bottom.html.erb
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 <!-- Start Bottom Shell -->
 <% unless internal_navigation? %>
-  <% cache("footer-and-signup-modal--#{user_signed_in?}--#{ApplicationConfig['RELEASE_FOOTPRINT']}", expires_in: 24.hours) do %>
+  <% cache("footer-and-signup-modal--#{user_signed_in?}--#{ForemInstance.deployed_at}", expires_in: 24.hours) do %>
     <%= render "layouts/footer" %>
     <%= render "layouts/signup_modal" unless user_signed_in? %>
   <% end %>
diff --git a/app/views/shell/_top.html.erb b/app/views/shell/_top.html.erb
index b0f194662..0395e8816 100644
--- a/app/views/shell/_top.html.erb
+++ b/app/views/shell/_top.html.erb
@@ -60,7 +60,8 @@
         data-pusher-key="<%= ApplicationConfig["PUSHER_KEY"] %>"
         data-app-domain="<%= ChatChannel.urlsafe_encoded_app_domain %>"
         data-honeybadger-key="<%= ApplicationConfig["HONEYBADGER_JS_API_KEY"] %>"
-        data-release-footprint="<%= ApplicationConfig["RELEASE_FOOTPRINT"] %>"
+        data-deployed-at="<%= ForemInstance.deployed_at %>"
+        data-latest-commit-id="<%= ForemInstance.latest_commit_id %>"
         data-ga-tracking="<%= SiteConfig.ga_tracking_id %>">
         <div id="body-styles">
           <style>
diff --git a/config/initializers/set_release_footprint.rb b/config/initializers/set_release_footprint.rb
deleted file mode 100644
index 70e01782b..000000000
--- a/config/initializers/set_release_footprint.rb
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,2 +0,0 @@
-# We will set RELEASE_FOOTPRINT in our Forem Cloud environment, or use HEROKU_SLUG_COMMIT if set (e.g. Heroku env)
-ENV["RELEASE_FOOTPRINT"] ||= ENV["HEROKU_RELEASE_CREATED_AT"]
diff --git a/spec/models/forem_instance_spec.rb b/spec/models/forem_instance_spec.rb
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e48146364
--- /dev/null
+++ b/spec/models/forem_instance_spec.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+require "rails_helper"
+
+RSpec.describe ForemInstance, type: :model do
+  describe "deployed_at" do
+    it "sets the RELEASE_FOOTPRINT if present" do
+      allow(ApplicationConfig).to receive(:[]).with("RELEASE_FOOTPRINT").and_return("A deploy date")
+      stub_const("ENV", ENV.to_h.merge("HEROKU_RELEASE_CREATED_AT" => ""))
+      expect(described_class.deployed_at).to be(ApplicationConfig["RELEASE_FOOTPRINT"])
+    end
+
+    it "sets the HEROKU_RELEASE_CREATED_AT if the RELEASE_FOOTPRINT is not present" do
+      allow(ApplicationConfig).to receive(:[]).with("RELEASE_FOOTPRINT").and_return("")
+      stub_const("ENV", ENV.to_h.merge("HEROKU_RELEASE_CREATED_AT" => "A deploy date set on Heroku"))
+      described_class.instance_variable_set(:@deployed_at, nil)
+      expect(described_class.deployed_at).to be(ENV["HEROKU_RELEASE_CREATED_AT"])
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe "latest_commit_id" do
+    it "sets the FOREM_BUILD_SHA if present" do
+      allow(ApplicationConfig).to receive(:[]).with("FOREM_BUILD_SHA").and_return("A commit id")
+      stub_const("ENV", ENV.to_h.merge("HEROKU_SLUG_COMMIT" => ""))
+      expect(described_class.latest_commit_id).to be(ApplicationConfig["FOREM_BUILD_SHA"])
+    end
+
+    it "sets the HEROKU_RELEASE_CREATED_AT if the RELEASE_FOOTPRINT is not present" do
+      allow(ApplicationConfig).to receive(:[]).with("FOREM_BUILD_SHA").and_return("")
+      stub_const("ENV", ENV.to_h.merge("HEROKU_SLUG_COMMIT" => "A Commit ID set from Heroku"))
+      described_class.instance_variable_set(:@latest_commit_id, nil)
+      expect(described_class.latest_commit_id).to be(ENV["HEROKU_SLUG_COMMIT"])
+    end
+  end
+end
diff --git a/spec/requests/admin/admin_portals_spec.rb b/spec/requests/admin/admin_portals_spec.rb
index b96332ee5..0dc8ff394 100644
--- a/spec/requests/admin/admin_portals_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/requests/admin/admin_portals_spec.rb
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ RSpec.describe "/admin", type: :request do
 
     it "shows the correct value if the Last deployed time is available" do
       stub_const("ENV", ENV.to_h.merge("HEROKU_RELEASE_CREATED_AT" => "Some date"))
+      ForemInstance.instance_variable_set(:@deployed_at, nil)
 
       get admin_path
 
