Triggering promotions

Explore ways to trigger promotions manually based on deployment requirements

Promotions are a key part of the continuous delivery (CD) process, controlling how software moves through various environments based on automated triggers or manual inputs.

Codefresh GitOps supports automated promotion scenarios tailored to various deployment models through Promotion Flows. These flows are triggered based on predefined criteria, such as specific commit messages or changes in Git branches, allowing seamless and consistent updates across environments.

For on-demand control, Codefresh also provides manual promotion triggers to handle specific deployment needs, whether pushing a hotfix to production, promoting an entire product release, or testing code changes in a specific environment.

Manual promotion offer different levels of control, accessible from distinct areas of the platform:

  • Single-environment promotion
    Useful for quick promotion to a specific environment through the drag-and-drop option, or the promote option for more control on promotion behavior.
  • Multi-environment promotion
    Designed for promotion across multiple environments through predefined Promotion Flows.

The quick reference for manual promotion triggers provides details on the different options, where you can find them, and potential use cases for each. How-to details are in the sections that follow the quick reference.

Manual promotion triggers: quick reference

The table below lists the methods to manually trigger promotions.

NOTE
Each method is available only if your account administrator has assigned the necessary permissions.

Manual trigger type Method Available in Control & flexibility Potential use case
Single environment Drag-and-drop
  • Environments dashboard
 Enforces global Promotion Policy settings if defined, or allows defining Policy behavior, including Promotion Action and Promotion Workflows. Test changes in selected environment with desired promotion method.
  Promote product
  • Environments dashboard
  • Product Dashboard
 Identical to drag-and-drop Identical to drag-and-drop
Multiple environments Promote product via Promotion Flow
  • Environments dashboard
  • Product Dashboard
 Automates promotion across multiple environments according to selected predefined flow. Promote changes for product across all environments without further commits.
  Trigger Promotion Flow Promotion Flow page Select a Promotion Flow and then select the product for which to trigger it. Test a newly designed Promotion Flow

Manually trigger promotions through drag-n-drop

Drag and drop the product to the target environment to promote changes. Customize the Promotion Settings to control promotion behavior for the environment.
This method is useful to test changes within a specific environment. For example, QA teams verifying changes in staging or other internal environments.

Watch this video: Drag-and-drop promotions

Before you begin
  • Verify that you have permission to trigger promotions in the Environments dashboard
How to
  1. From the sidebar in the Codefresh UI, select Environments, and then select the environment with the product to promote.
  2. Drag the product to the desired target environment. The Promotion Settings on the left are populated from global Policy settings that match the product, or left empty for you to define.
    The Compact diff view on the right shows the files with the changes and the changes to be promoted.

Promote app through drag-and-drop

Promote app through drag-and-drop
  1. Review the files with the changes.
  2. Add information on the commit or PR.
  3. Click Promote.

A release is created for the product, and the product’s Release tab displays the ongoing deployment.

Manually promote products to specific environments

Manually trigger promotion for a product to a specific target environment, and customize Promotion Settings to control promotion behavior for the environment.
This method is useful to test changes within a specific environment. For example, QA teams wanting to test changes in staging or other internal environments.

Before you begin
  • Verify you have permissions to promote in the Product or Environment dashboards
How to
  1. In the Codefresh UI, do one of the following:
    • To promote from the Product dashboard, select Products, and then select the product with the application to promote.
    • To promote from the Environments dashboard, select Environments.
  2. Click the context menu of the product to promote and select Promote.

Promote option in context menu

Promote option in context menu
  1. Select the target environment to promote to and click Next.
  2. In the Commit Changes page, if needed, define the Promotion Settings:
    • Select the Promotion Action as Commit (automated) or Pull Request (may require manual approval based on organization policies).
    • Optional. Select the Pre-Action Workflow to run before, and the Post-Action Workflow to run after, the Promotion Action.
  3. Review the files with the changes to be promoted.
  4. Click Promote.

A release is created for the product, and the product’s Release tab displays the ongoing deployment.

Manually promote products to multiple environments by Promotion Flow

Manually trigger promotion for a product across all environments configured in a predefined Promotion Flow.
This method is useful for promoting changes across all environments without requiring additional commits.

Before you begin
  • Verify you have permissions to promote in the Product or Environment dashboards
  • Ensure that the selected product has applications in all the environments defined in the Promotion Flow
How to
  1. From the sidebar in the Codefresh UI, do one of the following:
    • From the Product dashboard, select Products, and then select the product with the application to promote.
    • From the Environments dashboard, select Environments.
  2. Click the context menu of the product to promote and select Promote.
  3. Select Trigger Promotion Flow, and click Next.
  4. In the Trigger Promotion Flow page, select the Promotion Flow and then click Trigger.

Select Promotion Flow to promote to multiple environments

Select Promotion Flow to promote to multiple environments

A release is created for the product, and the product’s Release tab displays the ongoing deployment.

Manually trigger Promotion Flows

Manually trigger a predefined or a new Promotion Flow to promote a product.

This method is useful to test newly designed Promotion Flows, or optimize them for different products.

Before you begin
  • Verify you have permissions to trigger Promotion Flows
How to
  1. In the Codefresh UI, on the toolbar, click the Settings icon.
  2. From the sidebar, select Promotion Flows.
  3. Select the Promotion Flow to trigger manually.
  4. Click Trigger.
  5. From the list of products, select the product for which to trigger the Promotion Flow, and click Next.

Select product for which to trigger Promotion Flow

Select product for which to trigger Promotion Flow
  1. Select the application to promote for the product.

Select application to promote through Promotion Flow

Select application to promote through Promotion Flow
  1. Click Trigger. A notification confirms that the promotion is triggered and a release is created.

Promotions: Setup & configuration guidelines
Promotion building blocks
Configure Promotion Flows