Auto Deploy Rules

Automate deployments based on rules and avoid manual intervention.

What are Auto Deploy Rules?

Auto Deploy Rules automatically deploy deployments based on specific conditions. When a new version of an application is created, Hydra Deploy can automatically deploy it to the appropriate projects and environments according to the rules you’ve set up.

Why Use Auto Deploy?

• Time Saving - No manual clicks needed for each new release
• Consistency - Ensure that every version is always deployed the same way
• Fewer Errors - Avoid forgotten deployments
• Less Steps - Integration with CI/CD pipelines

Creating an Auto Deploy Rule

From Projects Page

1. Go to a Project
2. Click on the tab for auto deploy rules
3. Click on Create Rule
4. Configure the rule:
   • Application - Select the application
   • Version Prefix/Pattern - Choose which versions should be auto deployed (e.g., v1.* for all 1.x versions)
   • Target Environment - Where should the version be deployed?
5. Click on Save

From Rules Overview

1. Go to the auto deploy rules page
2. View all rules for all projects
3. Create new rules or edit existing ones

Rule Configurations

Version Matching

You can use different strategies to determine which versions should be automatically deployed:

Environment Selection

Choose which environment the version should be deployed to:

• Development - For fast feedback during development
• Staging - For pre-production testing
• Production - For live deployments

Delays

You can set a delay before auto deploy executes:

• Immediate - Deploy immediately on new version
• After X minutes - Wait X minutes
• After X hours - Wait X hours

This is useful to:

• Give testing time for staging
• Prevent accidental deployments to production
• Allow manual review possible

Best Practices

Development Workflow

For development environments:

• Use auto deploy to Development on every new version
• This provides immediate feedback to developers
• Faster iteration cycles

Staging Workflow

For staging environments:

• Use auto deploy with short delay (e.g., 15 minutes)
• Give testers time to detect regressions
• Possibility to cancel deployment

Production Workflow

For production environments:

• Don’t use auto deploy, or use with long delay and approval
• Let staging tests pass before auto deploy to production
• Keep human approval in the process

Rule Management

Viewing Rules

In the rules overview, you see:

• All active rules
• The projects and applications they apply to
• The last time they were triggered

Editing Rules

1. Click on a rule
2. Adjust the configuration
3. Save the changes

Note: If you modify a rule, future deployments will follow the new rule.

Deleting Rules

1. Click on the delete button next to a rule
2. Confirm the deletion

After deletion, new versions will no longer be automatically deployed according to that rule.

Disabling Rules

Instead of deleting, you can also temporarily disable rules:

• Turn the toggle off
• The rule is preserved but not executed
• Turn back on when needed

CI/CD Integration

Auto Deploy Rules work well with CI/CD pipelines:

Example Workflow:

1. Developer pushes code to repository
2. CI/CD pipeline is triggered
3. Build and tests are executed
4. New version is created via API
5. Auto Deploy Rule is activated
6. Deployment is automatically executed

Example API Call:

# Create new version
curl -X POST https://api.hydradeploy.com/versions/create \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_API_KEY>" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "applicationCode": "my-app",
    "version": "v1.2.3"
  }'

After this call, the auto deploy rule will determine if and where the version should be deployed.

Error Handling

Failed Auto Deploy

If an auto deployment fails:

• A notification is sent
• The deployment appears in deployment history with status “Failed”
• You can redeploy or do a rollback

Conflicting Rules

If multiple rules apply to the same version:

• The most specific rule takes precedence
• Exact match takes priority over wildcard
• Check rule order if needed

Monitoring

View in the Deployment History which deployments were automatically executed:

• Auto deployments are marked
• See which rule triggered the deployment
• Follow status of all deployments

Security

Approval Workflows

For critical production deployments:

• Use auto deploy with approval required
• One or more team members must approve
• Extra layer of security

Roles

Only users with appropriate roles can manage auto deploy rules:

• ORG_OWNER - Can create, edit, delete all rules
• ORG_MANAGER - Can manage rules for own projects
• ORG_USER - Can only view rules