Continuous Deployment

Automate your deployment process with Symbiosis.host's continuous deployment features. Learn how to set up automated builds, testing, and deployments triggered by Git changes.

Prerequisites

A Symbiosis.host account
Git repository with your application code
Basic understanding of CI/CD concepts
Completed the Quick Start Guide

CD Workflow Overview

Visual representation of the continuous deployment workflow from code commit to production.

Connect Your Repository

First, connect your Git repository to enable automated deployments:

# Using the CLI
symbiosis git connect

# Or connect through the dashboard:
# 1. Go to Project Settings
# 2. Select Git Integration
# 3. Choose your Git provider
# 4. Select your repository

Configure Build Settings

Set up your build configuration in symbiosis.config.js:

export default {
  name: 'my-application',
  build: {
    command: 'npm run build',
    output: 'dist',
    node_version: '18'
  },
  branches: {
    main: {
      autodeploy: true,
      environment: 'production'
    },
    staging: {
      autodeploy: true,
      environment: 'staging'
    }
  }
}

Set Up Environment Variables

Configure environment variables for different deployment environments:

# Production environment
symbiosis env set NODE_ENV=production --env production

# Staging environment
symbiosis env set NODE_ENV=staging --env staging

# View current environment variables
symbiosis env list

Configure Build Hooks

Add build hooks to customize the deployment process:

export default {
  hooks: {
    // Run before build
    prebuild: 'npm run lint',
    
    // Run after successful build
    postbuild: 'npm run test',
    
    // Run before deployment
    predeploy: './scripts/notify-team.sh',
    
    // Run after successful deployment
    postdeploy: './scripts/run-smoke-tests.sh'
  }
}

Set Up Notifications

Configure deployment notifications:

# Using the CLI
symbiosis notifications add slack --webhook-url=https://hooks.slack.com/...

# Or in symbiosis.config.js
export default {
  notifications: {
    slack: {
      webhook_url: 'https://hooks.slack.com/...',
      events: ['deploy.success', 'deploy.failure']
    }
  }
}

Best Practices

Branch Protection

Enable branch protection rules to ensure code quality:

Require pull request reviews
Require status checks to pass
Prevent force pushes
Automatically resolve conflicts

Testing Strategy

Implement comprehensive testing in your CI pipeline:

Unit tests must pass
Integration tests validation
End-to-end testing
Performance benchmarks

Rollback Strategy

Plan for deployment failures:

Automatic rollback on failure
Version your deployments
Keep deployment history
Monitor post-deployment metrics

Troubleshooting

Build Failures

If your build fails, check:

Build logs for specific errors
Environment variables are correctly set
Dependencies are properly specified
Build command is correct

Deployment Issues

For deployment problems:

Verify branch configurations
Check deployment logs
Confirm environment settings
Test deployment locally first

Next Steps

Now that you've set up continuous deployment, explore these related topics: