Development and Deployment Process

[jduan00]

Working in Progress

Process

3-Stage: DEV - TEST - PROD

We will follow the three stage process:

1. DEV: Development on local Mac: using docker and git
2. TEST: Testing. Deployed on fly.io test apps. ex: whereis-api-v0-test
3. PROD: Production. Deployed on fly.io, ex: whereis-api-v0

Dev using git

A simple three-branch strategy with main, development (often called develop), and hotfix branches. This approach is inspired by simplified Gitflow and is designed to balance ongoing development, production stability, and the ability to quickly address urgent bugs.

Overview of the Three-Branch Strategy

Branch	Purpose
main	Holds the stable, production-ready code
develop	Used for ongoing development, features, and integration
hotfix	Created as needed for urgent fixes to production (main)

---

How the Strategy Works

• main:
  This is your production branch. Only thoroughly tested and stable code should be merged here. Deployments to production are made from main.

• development (or develop):
  This is where all new features, improvements, and bug fixes are integrated. Developers branch off from development to work on features or fixes, and merge back when ready. Periodically, development is merged into main for a new release.

• hotfix:
  When a critical bug is found in production, a hotfix branch is created from main. The bug is fixed in this branch, then the fix is merged into both main (to deploy immediately) and development (to ensure the fix is included in ongoing work)[1][3][5].

---

Typical Workflow

1. Feature Development

   • Developers branch off from development to create feature branches.
   • When features are complete, they are merged back into development.

2. Releasing

   • When ready for a release, development is merged into main.
   • This can be done directly or via a release branch, depending on team preference.

3. Hotfixes

   • If a production bug is found, create a hotfix branch from main.
   • After fixing, merge the hotfix branch into both main and development[1][3][5].
   • Delete the hotfix branch after merging.

---

Example: Using the develop Branch

1. Create the develop Branch (if it doesn't exist yet)

Usually, you start with a main branch. To create and push a develop branch:

git checkout main
git checkout -b develop
git push -u origin develop

This sets up develop as your integration branch for all upcoming features[1][6][13].

---

2. Start Working on a Feature

Feature branches are created off of develop:

git checkout develop
git checkout -b feature/my-new-feature

Do your work and commit as usual:

git add .
git commit -m "Add new feature"

Push your feature branch if you want to collaborate or back up:

git push -u origin feature/my-new-feature

---

3. Merge the Feature Back Into develop

Once the feature is complete and tested, merge it back into develop:

git checkout develop
git merge feature/my-new-feature

Optionally, delete the feature branch:

git branch -d feature/my-new-feature

---

4. Prepare for a Release

When you’re ready to release, you can create a release branch from develop:

git checkout develop
git checkout -b release/1.0.0

Finalize the release (bug fixes, documentation, etc.), then merge into both main and develop:

git checkout main
git merge release/1.0.0
git checkout develop
git merge release/1.0.0
git branch -d release/1.0.0

---

Summary Table

Branch	Purpose
main	Production-ready code
develop	Integration branch for features and upcoming releases
feature/*	Isolated branches for new features
release/*	Prepares code for production release

---

In summary:
The develop branch acts as the main branch for integrating all new features and changes before they are released. Feature branches are created from and merged back into develop, keeping main stable for production.

---

Example Hotfix Workflow

# Create hotfix branch from main
git checkout main
git checkout -b hotfix/critical-bug

# Fix the bug, commit changes
git commit -am "Fix critical bug"

# Merge hotfix into main and development
git checkout main
git merge hotfix/critical-bug
git checkout development
git merge hotfix/critical-bug

# Delete hotfix branch
git branch -d hotfix/critical-bug

---

Benefits

• Parallel development: Feature work continues on development while production is stabilized via main and urgent issues are handled via hotfix[4][5].
• Clear separation: Production, ongoing development, and emergency fixes are managed separately.
• Fast response: Hotfixes can be deployed quickly without waiting for the next full release cycle.

---

In summary:
The three-branch strategy using main, development, and hotfix branches is a proven, practical approach for teams needing to balance ongoing development with production stability and the ability to quickly address urgent bugs.

Tools

IDE

1. VS Code
2. zed
3. Webstorm?

API tools

• Insomnia: Automate QA Test #31 (comment)

Cloud service

1. github.com
2. fly.io

AI support

[jduan00]

Setup a new Mac developer environment

Software

• Update to the latest MacOS
• Install Xcode command line: xcode-select –-install
• Install Homebrew (Unix and OSS tools)

Install the following:

1. Editors (VS Code, Zed) - Apple Silicon Arm64
2. Docker - Apple Silicon Arm64
3. Insomnia (API testing)
4. Notion
5. Zoom
6. Ollama