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REST API endpoints for deployments
Use the REST API to create and delete deployments and deployment environments.
About deployments
Deployments are requests to deploy a specific ref (branch, SHA, tag). GitHub dispatches a deployment
event that external services can listen for and act on when new deployments are created. Deployments enable developers and organizations to build loosely coupled tooling around deployments, without having to worry about the implementation details of delivering different types of applications (e.g., web, native).
Deployment statuses allow external services to mark deployments with an error
, failure
, pending
, in_progress
, queued
, or success
state that systems listening to deployment_status
events can consume.
Deployment statuses can also include an optional description
and log_url
, which are highly recommended because they make deployment statuses more useful. The log_url
is the full URL to the deployment output, and
the description
is a high-level summary of what happened with the deployment.
GitHub dispatches deployment
and deployment_status
events when new deployments and deployment statuses are created. These events allow third-party integrations to receive and respond to deployment requests, and update the status of a deployment as progress is made.
Below is a simple sequence diagram for how these interactions would work.
+---------+ +--------+ +-----------+ +-------------+
| Tooling | | GitHub | | 3rd Party | | Your Server |
+---------+ +--------+ +-----------+ +-------------+
| | | |
| Create Deployment | | |
|--------------------->| | |
| | | |
| Deployment Created | | |
|<---------------------| | |
| | | |
| | Deployment Event | |
| |---------------------->| |
| | | SSH+Deploys |
| | |-------------------->|
| | | |
| | Deployment Status | |
| |<----------------------| |
| | | |
| | | Deploy Completed |
| | |<--------------------|
| | | |
| | Deployment Status | |
| |<----------------------| |
| | | |
Keep in mind that GitHub is never actually accessing your servers. It's up to your third-party integration to interact with deployment events. Multiple systems can listen for deployment events, and it's up to each of those systems to decide whether they're responsible for pushing the code out to your servers, building native code, etc.
Note that the repo_deployment
OAuth scope grants targeted access to deployments and deployment statuses without granting access to repository code, while the public_repo
and repo
scopes grant permission to code as well.
Inactive deployments
When you set the state of a deployment to success
, then all prior non-transient, non-production environment deployments in the same repository with the same environment name will become inactive
. To avoid this, you can set auto_inactive
to false
when creating the deployment status.
You can communicate that a transient environment no longer exists by setting its state
to inactive
. Setting the state
to inactive
shows the deployment as destroyed
in GitHub and removes access to it.
List deployments
Simple filtering of deployments is available via query parameters:
Parameters for "List deployments"
Name, Type, Description |
---|
accept string Setting to |
Name, Type, Description |
---|
owner string RequiredThe account owner of the repository. The name is not case sensitive. |
repo string RequiredThe name of the repository without the |
Name, Type, Description |
---|
sha string The SHA recorded at creation time. Default: |
ref string The name of the ref. This can be a branch, tag, or SHA. Default: |
task string The name of the task for the deployment (e.g., Default: |
environment string or null The name of the environment that was deployed to (e.g., Default: |
per_page integer The number of results per page (max 100). For more information, see "Using pagination in the REST API." Default: |
page integer The page number of the results to fetch. For more information, see "Using pagination in the REST API." Default: |
HTTP response status codes for "List deployments"
Status code | Description |
---|---|
200 | OK |
Code samples for "List deployments"
Request example
curl -L \
-H "Accept: application/vnd.github+json" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR-TOKEN>" \
http(s)://HOSTNAME/api/v3/repos/OWNER/REPO/deployments
Response
Status: 200
[
{
"url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octocat/example/deployments/1",
"id": 1,
"node_id": "MDEwOkRlcGxveW1lbnQx",
"sha": "a84d88e7554fc1fa21bcbc4efae3c782a70d2b9d",
"ref": "topic-branch",
"task": "deploy",
"payload": {},
"original_environment": "staging",
"environment": "production",
"description": "Deploy request from hubot",
"creator": {
"login": "octocat",
"id": 1,
"node_id": "MDQ6VXNlcjE=",
"avatar_url": "https://github.com/images/error/octocat_happy.gif",
"gravatar_id": "",
"url": "https://HOSTNAME/users/octocat",
"html_url": "https://github.com/octocat",
"followers_url": "https://HOSTNAME/users/octocat/followers",
"following_url": "https://HOSTNAME/users/octocat/following{/other_user}",
"gists_url": "https://HOSTNAME/users/octocat/gists{/gist_id}",
"starred_url": "https://HOSTNAME/users/octocat/starred{/owner}{/repo}",
"subscriptions_url": "https://HOSTNAME/users/octocat/subscriptions",
"organizations_url": "https://HOSTNAME/users/octocat/orgs",
"repos_url": "https://HOSTNAME/users/octocat/repos",
"events_url": "https://HOSTNAME/users/octocat/events{/privacy}",
"received_events_url": "https://HOSTNAME/users/octocat/received_events",
"type": "User",
"site_admin": false
},
"created_at": "2012-07-20T01:19:13Z",
"updated_at": "2012-07-20T01:19:13Z",
"statuses_url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octocat/example/deployments/1/statuses",
"repository_url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octocat/example",
"transient_environment": false,
"production_environment": true
}
]
Create a deployment
Deployments offer a few configurable parameters with certain defaults.
The ref
parameter can be any named branch, tag, or SHA. At GitHub Enterprise Server we often deploy branches and verify them
before we merge a pull request.
The environment
parameter allows deployments to be issued to different runtime environments. Teams often have
multiple environments for verifying their applications, such as production
, staging
, and qa
. This parameter
makes it easier to track which environments have requested deployments. The default environment is production
.
The auto_merge
parameter is used to ensure that the requested ref is not behind the repository's default branch. If
the ref is behind the default branch for the repository, we will attempt to merge it for you. If the merge succeeds,
the API will return a successful merge commit. If merge conflicts prevent the merge from succeeding, the API will
return a failure response.
By default, commit statuses for every submitted context must be in a success
state. The required_contexts
parameter allows you to specify a subset of contexts that must be success
, or to
specify contexts that have not yet been submitted. You are not required to use commit statuses to deploy. If you do
not require any contexts or create any commit statuses, the deployment will always succeed.
The payload
parameter is available for any extra information that a deployment system might need. It is a JSON text
field that will be passed on when a deployment event is dispatched.
The task
parameter is used by the deployment system to allow different execution paths. In the web world this might
be deploy:migrations
to run schema changes on the system. In the compiled world this could be a flag to compile an
application with debugging enabled.
Merged branch response:
You will see this response when GitHub automatically merges the base branch into the topic branch instead of creating a deployment. This auto-merge happens when:
- Auto-merge option is enabled in the repository
- Topic branch does not include the latest changes on the base branch, which is
master
in the response example - There are no merge conflicts
If there are no new commits in the base branch, a new request to create a deployment should give a successful response.
Merge conflict response:
This error happens when the auto_merge
option is enabled and when the default branch (in this case master
), can't
be merged into the branch that's being deployed (in this case topic-branch
), due to merge conflicts.
Failed commit status checks:
This error happens when the required_contexts
parameter indicates that one or more contexts need to have a success
status for the commit to be deployed, but one or more of the required contexts do not have a state of success
.
OAuth app tokens and personal access tokens (classic) need the repo
or repo_deployment
scope to use this endpoint.
Parameters for "Create a deployment"
Name, Type, Description |
---|
accept string Setting to |
Name, Type, Description |
---|
owner string RequiredThe account owner of the repository. The name is not case sensitive. |
repo string RequiredThe name of the repository without the |
Name, Type, Description |
---|
ref string RequiredThe ref to deploy. This can be a branch, tag, or SHA. |
task string Specifies a task to execute (e.g., Default: |
auto_merge boolean Attempts to automatically merge the default branch into the requested ref, if it's behind the default branch. Default: |
required_contexts array of strings The status contexts to verify against commit status checks. If you omit this parameter, GitHub verifies all unique contexts before creating a deployment. To bypass checking entirely, pass an empty array. Defaults to all unique contexts. |
payload object or string JSON payload with extra information about the deployment. |
environment string Name for the target deployment environment (e.g., Default: |
description string or null Short description of the deployment. Default: |
transient_environment boolean Specifies if the given environment is specific to the deployment and will no longer exist at some point in the future. Default: Default: |
production_environment boolean Specifies if the given environment is one that end-users directly interact with. Default: |
HTTP response status codes for "Create a deployment"
Status code | Description |
---|---|
201 | Created |
202 | Merged branch response |
409 | Conflict when there is a merge conflict or the commit's status checks failed |
422 | Validation failed, or the endpoint has been spammed. |
Code samples for "Create a deployment"
Request example
curl -L \
-X POST \
-H "Accept: application/vnd.github+json" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR-TOKEN>" \
http(s)://HOSTNAME/api/v3/repos/OWNER/REPO/deployments \
-d '{"ref":"topic-branch","payload":"{ \"deploy\": \"migrate\" }","description":"Deploy request from hubot"}'
Simple example
Status: 201
{
"url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octocat/example/deployments/1",
"id": 1,
"node_id": "MDEwOkRlcGxveW1lbnQx",
"sha": "a84d88e7554fc1fa21bcbc4efae3c782a70d2b9d",
"ref": "topic-branch",
"task": "deploy",
"payload": {},
"original_environment": "staging",
"environment": "production",
"description": "Deploy request from hubot",
"creator": {
"login": "octocat",
"id": 1,
"node_id": "MDQ6VXNlcjE=",
"avatar_url": "https://github.com/images/error/octocat_happy.gif",
"gravatar_id": "",
"url": "https://HOSTNAME/users/octocat",
"html_url": "https://github.com/octocat",
"followers_url": "https://HOSTNAME/users/octocat/followers",
"following_url": "https://HOSTNAME/users/octocat/following{/other_user}",
"gists_url": "https://HOSTNAME/users/octocat/gists{/gist_id}",
"starred_url": "https://HOSTNAME/users/octocat/starred{/owner}{/repo}",
"subscriptions_url": "https://HOSTNAME/users/octocat/subscriptions",
"organizations_url": "https://HOSTNAME/users/octocat/orgs",
"repos_url": "https://HOSTNAME/users/octocat/repos",
"events_url": "https://HOSTNAME/users/octocat/events{/privacy}",
"received_events_url": "https://HOSTNAME/users/octocat/received_events",
"type": "User",
"site_admin": false
},
"created_at": "2012-07-20T01:19:13Z",
"updated_at": "2012-07-20T01:19:13Z",
"statuses_url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octocat/example/deployments/1/statuses",
"repository_url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octocat/example",
"transient_environment": false,
"production_environment": true
}
Get a deployment
Parameters for "Get a deployment"
Name, Type, Description |
---|
accept string Setting to |
Name, Type, Description |
---|
owner string RequiredThe account owner of the repository. The name is not case sensitive. |
repo string RequiredThe name of the repository without the |
deployment_id integer Requireddeployment_id parameter |
HTTP response status codes for "Get a deployment"
Status code | Description |
---|---|
200 | OK |
404 | Resource not found |
Code samples for "Get a deployment"
Request example
curl -L \
-H "Accept: application/vnd.github+json" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR-TOKEN>" \
http(s)://HOSTNAME/api/v3/repos/OWNER/REPO/deployments/DEPLOYMENT_ID
Response
Status: 200
{
"url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octocat/example/deployments/1",
"id": 1,
"node_id": "MDEwOkRlcGxveW1lbnQx",
"sha": "a84d88e7554fc1fa21bcbc4efae3c782a70d2b9d",
"ref": "topic-branch",
"task": "deploy",
"payload": {},
"original_environment": "staging",
"environment": "production",
"description": "Deploy request from hubot",
"creator": {
"login": "octocat",
"id": 1,
"node_id": "MDQ6VXNlcjE=",
"avatar_url": "https://github.com/images/error/octocat_happy.gif",
"gravatar_id": "",
"url": "https://HOSTNAME/users/octocat",
"html_url": "https://github.com/octocat",
"followers_url": "https://HOSTNAME/users/octocat/followers",
"following_url": "https://HOSTNAME/users/octocat/following{/other_user}",
"gists_url": "https://HOSTNAME/users/octocat/gists{/gist_id}",
"starred_url": "https://HOSTNAME/users/octocat/starred{/owner}{/repo}",
"subscriptions_url": "https://HOSTNAME/users/octocat/subscriptions",
"organizations_url": "https://HOSTNAME/users/octocat/orgs",
"repos_url": "https://HOSTNAME/users/octocat/repos",
"events_url": "https://HOSTNAME/users/octocat/events{/privacy}",
"received_events_url": "https://HOSTNAME/users/octocat/received_events",
"type": "User",
"site_admin": false
},
"created_at": "2012-07-20T01:19:13Z",
"updated_at": "2012-07-20T01:19:13Z",
"statuses_url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octocat/example/deployments/1/statuses",
"repository_url": "https://HOSTNAME/repos/octocat/example",
"transient_environment": false,
"production_environment": true
}
Delete a deployment
If the repository only has one deployment, you can delete the deployment regardless of its status. If the repository has more than one deployment, you can only delete inactive deployments. This ensures that repositories with multiple deployments will always have an active deployment.
To set a deployment as inactive, you must:
- Create a new deployment that is active so that the system has a record of the current state, then delete the previously active deployment.
- Mark the active deployment as inactive by adding any non-successful deployment status.
For more information, see "Create a deployment" and "Create a deployment status."
OAuth app tokens and personal access tokens (classic) need the repo
or repo_deployment
scope to use this endpoint.
Parameters for "Delete a deployment"
Name, Type, Description |
---|
accept string Setting to |
Name, Type, Description |
---|
owner string RequiredThe account owner of the repository. The name is not case sensitive. |
repo string RequiredThe name of the repository without the |
deployment_id integer Requireddeployment_id parameter |
HTTP response status codes for "Delete a deployment"
Status code | Description |
---|---|
204 | No Content |
404 | Resource not found |
422 | Validation failed, or the endpoint has been spammed. |
Code samples for "Delete a deployment"
Request example
curl -L \
-X DELETE \
-H "Accept: application/vnd.github+json" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR-TOKEN>" \
http(s)://HOSTNAME/api/v3/repos/OWNER/REPO/deployments/DEPLOYMENT_ID
Response
Status: 204