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Overview

Applad manages all deployment pipelines through YAML files in deployments/. Each deployment type (web, Play Store, App Store, OTA) is defined in a single file with a source block pointing to your code.
Deploy ≠ ReleaseDeploy is the technical act of putting an artifact somewhere. Release is the business decision to make functionality live to users, controlled through feature flags. These are separate concerns managed by separate people at separate times.

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Web Deployments

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Basic Web Deployment

deployments/web.yaml
name: "web"
type: "web"

domain: "myapp.com"
www_redirect: true
ssl: true

source:
  type: "github"
  repo: "myorg/myapp-web"
  branch: "main"
  build_command: "flutter build web"
  output_dir: "build/web"
  ssh_key: "ci-github-actions"

headers:
  - path: "/*"
    values:
      X-Frame-Options: "DENY"
      X-Content-Type-Options: "nosniff"
      X-XSS-Protection: "1; mode=block"
      Strict-Transport-Security: "max-age=31536000; includeSubDomains"
      Referrer-Policy: "strict-origin-when-cross-origin"
      Content-Security-Policy: "default-src 'self'; script-src 'self'"
      Permissions-Policy: "camera=(), microphone=(), geolocation=()"

redirects:
  - from: "/old-path"
    to: "/new-path"
    status: 301

triggers:
  - type: "git_push"
    branch: "main"
  - type: "manual"

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Preview Environments

Automatically create deployments for each pull request:
deployments/web.yaml
preview_environments:
  enabled: true
  pattern: "pr-{number}.preview.myapp.com"
  ssl: true
Manage preview environments: 
# List active previews
applad deploy preview list web

# Open preview for PR #42
applad deploy preview open web --pr 42

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Android Deployments

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Play Store Deployment

deployments/android-production.yaml
name: "android-production"
type: "play-store"

track: "production"  # internal | alpha | beta | production

source:
  type: "github"
  repo: "myorg/myapp"
  branch: "main"
  ssh_key: "ci-github-actions"

build:
  command: "flutter build appbundle --release"
  output: "build/app/outputs/bundle/release/app-release.aab"
  infrastructure:
    type: "vps"
    host: "build.acme-corp.com"
    ssh_key: "ci-github-actions"

signing:
  keystore: "android-keystore"  # Reference to credential in admin database
  key_alias: "release"

store_metadata:
  package_name: "com.acme.myapp"
  release_notes: "auto"  # Generate from git commits or specify manually

triggers:
  - type: "git_tag"
    pattern: "v*"
  - type: "manual"
1

Configure signing credentials

Store your keystore securely:
applad secrets set android-keystore
2

Trigger deployment

applad deploy run android-production
Or tag a release:
git tag v1.0.0
git push --tags
3

Monitor deployment

applad deploy logs android-production
applad deploy status android-production

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iOS Deployments

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App Store Deployment

deployments/ios-production.yaml
name: "ios-production"
type: "app-store"

source:
  type: "github"
  repo: "myorg/myapp"
  branch: "main"
  ssh_key: "ci-github-actions"

build:
  command: "flutter build ipa --release"
  output: "build/ios/ipa"
  infrastructure:
    type: "cloud"
    provider: "aws"
    instance_type: "mac2.metal"  # macOS required for iOS builds
    region: "us-east-1"
    credentials: "aws-production"
    teardown_after: true  # Tear down instance after build

signing:
  certificate: "ios-distribution"  # Reference to credential in admin database
  profile: "ios-appstore-profile"

store_metadata:
  bundle_id: "com.acme.myapp"
  release_notes: "auto"

triggers:
  - type: "git_tag"
    pattern: "v*"
  - type: "manual"
iOS builds require macOS. Applad automatically provisions an AWS Mac instance, builds the app, and tears down the instance after completion. The instance appears in applad cloud list while the build is in progress.

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OTA Updates

Over-the-air updates let you push changes to existing app installs without going through app stores.
deployments/ota.yaml
name: "ota"
type: "ota"

source:
  type: "github"
  repo: "myorg/myapp"
  branch: "main"
  ssh_key: "ci-github-actions"

rollout:
  strategy: "gradual"  # instant | gradual
  percentage: 10       # Start at 10% of users
  increment: 10        # Increase by 10% each interval
  interval: "24h"      # Wait 24h between increments

triggers:
  - type: "manual"

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Managing OTA Rollouts

1

Start rollout

applad deploy run ota
2

Monitor adoption

applad deploy ota status ota
Shows percentage of devices that have received the update.
3

Pause if issues detected

applad deploy ota pause ota
4

Resume when ready

applad deploy ota resume ota
5

Rollback if critical bug

applad deploy ota rollback ota
Forces all devices back to the previous version.

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Deployment Triggers

Control when deployments run:

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Git Push Trigger

triggers:
  - type: "git_push"
    branch: "main"

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Git Tag Trigger

triggers:
  - type: "git_tag"
    pattern: "v*"  # Matches v1.0.0, v2.1.3, etc.

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Manual Trigger

triggers:
  - type: "manual"
Run with: 
applad deploy run <name>

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Deployment Commands

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List deployments

# All deployments
applad deploy list

# Filter by type
applad deploy list --type web
applad deploy list --type play-store
applad deploy list --type app-store
applad deploy list --type ota

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Trigger deployment

applad deploy run web
applad deploy run android-production
applad deploy run ios-production
applad deploy run ota

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View logs

applad deploy logs <name>
Streams build output, submission results, and errors.

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Check status

applad deploy status <name>
Shows whether the deployment is in progress, succeeded, or failed.

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Rollback

applad deploy rollback <name>
For web deployments: reverts to previous build. For mobile: triggers rollout of previous submitted build.

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Open deployed artifact

applad deploy open <name>
Opens the site URL or store listing in your browser.

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Domain Management

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List domains

applad deploy domains list
Shows all custom domains with verification and SSL status.

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Verify domain DNS

applad deploy domains verify myapp.com
Checks that DNS is correctly pointed at your Applad instance.

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Add custom domain

applad deploy domains add web --domain "newdomain.com"
Updates the deployment YAML and triggers SSL certificate request.

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Environment-Specific Deployments

Deploy to specific environments: 
applad deploy run web --env staging
applad deploy run web --env production

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Example: Complete CI/CD Pipeline

.github/workflows/deploy.yml
name: Deploy

on:
  push:
    branches: [main]
  release:
    types: [published]

jobs:
  deploy-web:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v3
      - name: Deploy to production
        run: |
          applad deploy run web --env production
        env:
          SSH_KEY: ${{ secrets.APPLAD_SSH_KEY }}

  deploy-android:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    if: github.event_name == 'release'
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v3
      - name: Deploy to Play Store
        run: |
          applad deploy run android-production
        env:
          SSH_KEY: ${{ secrets.APPLAD_SSH_KEY }}

  deploy-ios:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    if: github.event_name == 'release'
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v3
      - name: Deploy to App Store
        run: |
          applad deploy run ios-production
        env:
          SSH_KEY: ${{ secrets.APPLAD_SSH_KEY }}

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Next Steps

Feature Flags

Control feature releases independently from deployments

Messaging

Configure email, SMS, and push notifications

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