wheels deploy exec

Execute a deployment to the specified target environment.

Synopsis

wheels deploy exec [target] [options]

Description

The wheels deploy exec command performs the actual deployment of your Wheels application to a configured target environment. It handles file synchronization, runs deployment hooks, and manages the deployment lifecycle.

Arguments

Argument	Description	Default
target	Deployment target (production, staging, etc.)	Required

Options

Option	Description	Default
--tag	Git tag or commit to deploy	Latest commit
--branch	Git branch to deploy	Configured branch
--force	Force deployment even with uncommitted changes	false
--skip-hooks	Skip pre/post deployment hooks	false
--skip-tests	Skip test execution	false
--skip-assets	Skip asset compilation	false
--dry-run	Preview deployment without executing	false
--verbose	Show detailed output	false
--timeout	Deployment timeout in seconds	300
--help	Show help information

Examples

Deploy to production

wheels deploy exec production

Deploy specific tag

wheels deploy exec production --tag=v1.2.3

Deploy with dry run

wheels deploy exec staging --dry-run

Force deployment

wheels deploy exec production --force

Deploy without hooks

wheels deploy exec staging --skip-hooks

Verbose deployment

wheels deploy exec production --verbose

Deployment Process

1. Pre-flight Checks:

   • Verify target configuration

   • Check Git status

   • Validate dependencies

   • Test connectivity

2. Preparation:

   • Create release directory

   • Export code from repository

   • Install dependencies

   • Compile assets

3. Synchronization:

   • Upload files to target

   • Exclude ignored files

   • Preserve shared resources

4. Activation:

   • Update symbolic links

   • Run database migrations

   • Clear caches

   • Reload application

5. Cleanup:

   • Remove old releases

   • Clean temporary files

   • Update deployment log

Output Example

Deploying to production...
✓ Pre-flight checks passed
✓ Creating release 20240115120000
✓ Exporting code from main branch
✓ Installing dependencies
✓ Compiling assets
✓ Uploading files to prod.example.com
  → Transferred 1,234 files (45.6 MB)
✓ Running pre-deployment hooks
  → npm run build
  → box install --production
✓ Activating release
✓ Running post-deployment hooks
  → wheels dbmigrate latest
  → wheels reload production
✓ Cleaning up old releases
✓ Deployment completed successfully!

Deployment Summary:
- Target: production
- Release: 20240115120000
- Duration: 2m 34s
- Status: SUCCESS

Deployment Strategies

Rolling Deployment

wheels deploy exec production

• Gradual rollout

• Zero downtime

• Automatic rollback on failure

Blue-Green Deployment

wheels deploy exec production --strategy=blue-green

• Instant switching

• Full rollback capability

• Requires double resources

Canary Deployment

wheels deploy exec production --strategy=canary --percentage=10

• Gradual traffic shift

• Risk mitigation

• Performance monitoring

Hook Execution

Pre-deployment Hooks

Executed before deployment:

"pre-deploy": [
  "npm test",
  "npm run build",
  "box install --production"
]

Post-deployment Hooks

Executed after activation:

"post-deploy": [
  "wheels dbmigrate latest",
  "wheels reload production",
  "npm run cache:clear",
  "curl -X POST https://api.example.com/deploy-notification"
]

Rollback Handling

If deployment fails:

1. Automatic rollback triggered

2. Previous release restored

3. Rollback hooks executed

4. Notifications sent

Manual rollback:

wheels deploy rollback production

Environment Variables

Available during deployment:

Variable	Description
WHEELS_DEPLOY_TARGET	Target environment name
WHEELS_DEPLOY_RELEASE	Release timestamp
WHEELS_DEPLOY_BRANCH	Git branch
WHEELS_DEPLOY_TAG	Git tag (if specified)
WHEELS_DEPLOY_USER	User executing deployment

Dry Run Mode

Preview deployment without changes:

wheels deploy exec production --dry-run

Shows:

• Files to be transferred

• Hooks to be executed

• Resources to be created

• Estimated deployment time

Error Handling

Common errors and solutions:

1. Connection Failed

   • Check SSH keys/credentials

   • Verify network connectivity

   • Confirm server accessibility

2. Permission Denied

   • Check user permissions

   • Verify directory ownership

   • Review deployment path

3. Hook Failed

   • Check hook commands

   • Verify dependencies

   • Review error logs

4. Disk Space

   • Check available space

   • Clean old releases

   • Review keep-releases setting

Performance Optimization

• Use --skip-assets if assets pre-built

• Enable compression for transfers

• Parallelize hook execution

• Use incremental deployments

Monitoring

Track deployment metrics:

• Deployment duration

• Transfer size

• Success/failure rate

• Rollback frequency

Use Cases

1. Automated Deployment: CI/CD pipeline integration

2. Scheduled Releases: Deploy during maintenance windows

3. Emergency Hotfix: Quick production patches

4. Feature Deployment: Deploy specific features

5. A/B Testing: Deploy variants for testing

Notes

• Always test in staging first

• Monitor application after deployment

• Keep deployment logs for auditing

• Have rollback plan ready

• Coordinate with team for production deployments

See Also

• wheels deploy - Deployment overview
• wheels deploy status - Check deployment status
• wheels deploy rollback - Rollback deployment
• wheels deploy logs - View deployment logs