Deployment

Deployment refers to the process of installing, configuring, and running an application or service on infrastructure like servers, containers, or a cloud platform. The goal of deployment is to make an application available and accessible to end users.

The deployment process involves several steps. First, developers write and test code for the application locally. When they have a stable version ready for release, the code is packaged up into a deployable artifact like a container image, VM image, or executable file. The infrastructure team then takes this artifact and deploys it onto the production infrastructure. This usually involves provisioning servers or containers, copying over code and files, making networking and database connections, and starting up the application services. As part of deployment, configuration settings are applied and the deployment is tested to ensure it is functioning as expected before being made available to users. Deployments allow new features and bug fixes to be shipped to users in an automated, repeatable manner. Tools like Kubernetes, Terraform, and CI/CD pipelines help automate deployments and provide consistent, reliable application releases.