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Deploying ​

Norn provides two paths for deploying applications: the CLI and the web UI. Both follow the same pipeline under the hood and provide real-time progress feedback over WebSocket.

CLI Deploy ​

Deploy an application using a specific commit SHA:

bash
norn deploy myapp abc123

Or deploy the latest commit from the configured branch:

bash
norn deploy myapp HEAD

Deploy Pipeline Steps ​

When you trigger a deploy, Norn executes the following steps in order:

1. Clone ​

Norn clones the Git repository (or creates a local copy fallback) into a temporary working directory and resolves the actual commit SHA. If you specified HEAD, this step determines the concrete SHA to deploy.

2. Build ​

Norn builds a Docker image using the Dockerfile specified in your infraspec:

bash
docker build -t myapp:abc123 .

The image is then pushed to your configured registry or loaded directly into minikube for local development.

3. Test ​

If your infraspec defines a build.test command, Norn runs it in the working directory. This is your opportunity to run unit tests, linting, or other pre-deployment validation.

4. Snapshot ​

For applications with PostgreSQL databases, Norn creates a snapshot before proceeding:

bash
pg_dump -Fc -d <database> -f snapshots/<db>_<sha>_<timestamp>.dump

This snapshot can be used to restore the database if migrations cause issues. Applications without databases skip this step.

5. Migrate ​

Norn runs the migration command specified in your infraspec's migrations.command field. This step applies any database schema changes needed for the new version.

6. Deploy ​

Norn updates the Kubernetes deployment to use the new image:

  • For standard deployments: SetImage on the K8s deployment resource
  • For cron jobs: Register the new version with the cron scheduler

7. Cleanup ​

Norn removes the temporary working directory, leaving only the built image and any generated snapshots.

Reading Pipeline Output ​

Both the UI and CLI provide real-time progress feedback:

CLI Output ​

The CLI displays spinners and step status indicators as each stage completes:

✓ Clone completed
⠋ Building image...

UI Output ​

The web UI shows a deploy panel with visual step indicators. Each step transitions from pending to in-progress to complete as the pipeline advances.

Pre-Deploy Checklist ​

Before you can deploy an application:

  1. Run Forge: The app must be forged first to create Kubernetes resources and initial configuration
  2. Create Infraspec: The app must have a valid infraspec.yaml defining build and deployment settings

Without these prerequisites, the deploy will fail early with a clear error message.