Deployment

Deployment Overview

Deployments push code from the main branch on GitHub to the production server via SSH and Git.

Quick Deployment

# Deploy main branch to production
make deploy

This command:

1. SSHs into production server
2. Stashes any uncommitted changes
3. Checks out main branch
4. Pulls latest code from GitHub
5. Pops stashed changes (if any)

Full Deployment Process

1. Pre-Deployment Checklist

• Code tested locally
• All tests passing
• Database migrations prepared (if needed)
• No breaking changes to coworker’s workflow
• Coworker notified of deployment
• Backup plan ready

2. Check Current Production State

# Check what's on production server
make status

# Should show:
# - Current branch (should be 'main')
# - Clean working directory (or pending auto-commits)
# - Latest commit

3. Review Changes to Deploy

# See what will be deployed
git log origin/main..main --oneline

# Or check GitHub
open "https://github.com/my-marketing-pro/mmp-webapp/commits/main"

4. Deploy

# Deploy to production
make deploy

What happens:

ssh mymarketingpro "cd /var/www/sftp/app &&
  sudo git stash &&
  sudo git checkout main &&
  sudo git pull &&
  sudo git stash pop 2>/dev/null || true"

5. Verify Deployment

# Check production status
make status

# Should show:
# - On branch main
# - Latest commit matches your local
# - No errors

6. Test Production

1. Open production site in browser
2. Test the changed functionality
3. Check browser console for errors
4. Monitor for any issues

7. Monitor

# SSH into server
ssh mymarketingpro

# Check error logs
sudo tail -f /var/log/nginx/error.log
sudo tail -f /var/log/php/error.log

# Check application logs
cd /var/www/sftp/app
tail -f logs/app.log  # If you have app logging

Deployment with Database Changes

If your deployment includes database migrations:

1. Prepare Migration Script

Create migration file locally:

-- migrations/2026-01-21-add-user-preferences.sql
ALTER TABLE app_users
ADD COLUMN preferences JSON NULL AFTER email;

CREATE INDEX idx_user_preferences ON app_users(preferences);

2. Test Migration Locally

# Test on local database
mysql -u root mmp_app < migrations/2026-01-21-add-user-preferences.sql

# Verify
mysql -u root mmp_app -e "DESCRIBE app_users;"

3. Deploy Code

# Deploy application code first
make deploy

4. Run Migration on Production

# SSH into server
ssh mymarketingpro

# Navigate to app directory
cd /var/www/sftp/app

# Run migration
mysql -h my-marketing-pro.cluster-c3mws4moov6r.us-east-2.rds.amazonaws.com \
  -u admin -p \
  mmp_app < migrations/2026-01-21-add-user-preferences.sql

# Verify
mysql -h my-marketing-pro.cluster-c3mws4moov6r.us-east-2.rds.amazonaws.com \
  -u admin -p \
  -e "DESCRIBE mmp_app.app_users;"

5. Test Application

Test that the new feature works with the new database structure.

Deployment Scenarios

Scenario 1: Normal Deployment

Simple code changes, no database changes, no breaking changes.

make deploy

Scenario 2: Hotfix Deployment

Critical bug fix that needs to go out immediately.

# Make fix locally
git add .
git commit -m "Hotfix: Fix critical authentication bug"
git push origin main

# Deploy immediately
make deploy

# Verify fix
open "https://production-url.com"

Scenario 3: Coordinated Deployment

Large changes that require coworker to pause FTP edits.

1. Notify coworker: “Deploying in 10 minutes, please save your work”
2. Wait for confirmation: Ensure no active FTP edits
3. Deploy:

make deploy

4. Verify and notify: “Deployment complete, safe to resume”

Scenario 4: Rollback Deployment

Something broke, need to rollback.

# Find last good commit
git log --oneline -10

# Rollback locally
git reset --hard <last-good-commit>

# Force push (careful!)
git push origin main --force

# Deploy the rollback
make deploy

Scenario 5: Deployment with Downtime

Changes that require brief downtime.

1. Put up maintenance page (if you have one)
2. Make changes
3. Deploy
4. Verify
5. Remove maintenance page

Deployment Best Practices

Timing

Best times to deploy:

• Low-traffic periods (early morning, late evening)
• Weekdays (not Friday!)
• When coworker is available for coordination

Avoid deploying:

• During peak usage hours
• Friday afternoons (weekend issues)
• When coworker is actively editing via FTP
• Late at night when you can’t monitor

Communication

Before deployment:

• Review changes with team
• Notify coworker of deployment window
• Prepare rollback plan

During deployment:

• Monitor logs
• Test immediately after deployment
• Keep team updated

After deployment:

• Confirm successful deployment
• Monitor for issues
• Document any problems

Safety

Always have a rollback plan:

# Know the last good commit
git log --oneline -5

# Test rollback process before you need it
# (on a test environment if available)

Use feature flags for big changes:

// In config.php
define('FEATURE_NEW_UI', false);

// In code
if (FEATURE_NEW_UI) {
    // New code
} else {
    // Old code
}

Troubleshooting Deployments

Deployment Hangs

# Cancel with Ctrl+C
# SSH into server manually
ssh mymarketingpro

# Check what's happening
cd /var/www/sftp/app
sudo git status

# If stuck, kill git process
ps aux | grep git
sudo kill <pid>

# Try deployment again
make deploy

Merge Conflicts During Deployment

# SSH into server
ssh mymarketingpro
cd /var/www/sftp/app

# Check status
sudo git status

# If conflicts, decide:
# Option 1: Keep production changes
sudo git checkout --theirs .
sudo git add .

# Option 2: Keep main branch changes
sudo git checkout --ours .
sudo git add .

# Complete merge
sudo git commit -m "Resolve merge conflict during deployment"

# Try deployment again from local
make deploy

Permission Errors

# On server
ssh mymarketingpro
cd /var/www/sftp/app

# Check permissions
ls -lh

# Fix if needed
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data .

# Ensure Git directory is accessible
sudo chmod -R 755 .git/

Git Lock File

# On server
ssh mymarketingpro
cd /var/www/sftp/app

# Remove lock file
sudo rm -f .git/index.lock

# Try deployment again
make deploy

Automated Deployments (Future)

Consider setting up CI/CD:

GitHub Actions

.github/workflows/deploy.yml

name: Deploy to Production
on:
  push:
    branches: [main]
jobs:
  deploy:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v2
      - name: Deploy
        run: |
          ssh ${{ secrets.SSH_HOST }} "cd /var/www/sftp/app && sudo git pull"

Benefits of CI/CD

• Automated testing before deployment
• Consistent deployment process
• Deployment history and audit trail
• Rollback automation

Deployment Checklist Template

## Deployment: [Feature Name]
Date: [YYYY-MM-DD]
Deployed by: [Your Name]

### Pre-Deployment
- [ ] Code reviewed
- [ ] Tested locally
- [ ] Database migrations prepared
- [ ] Coworker notified
- [ ] Backup plan ready

### Deployment
- [ ] Deployed with `make deploy`
- [ ] Migration run (if needed)
- [ ] Production tested
- [ ] Error logs checked

### Post-Deployment
- [ ] Functionality verified
- [ ] No errors in logs
- [ ] Coworker notified of completion
- [ ] Documentation updated

### Rollback Plan
Last good commit: [commit-hash]
Command: `git reset --hard [commit-hash] && git push --force && make deploy`

### Notes
[Any issues, observations, or follow-ups]

Next Steps

• Git Workflow - Version control process
• Development Workflow - Development best practices
• Makefile Commands - Command reference