Deployer is an open-source deployment tool for PHP projects — specifically designed to automate, standardize, and securely deploy applications like Laravel, Symfony, Magento, WordPress, or any custom PHP apps.
It’s a CLI tool, written in PHP.
You define your deployment process in a deploy.php configuration file with clearly defined tasks.
It supports zero-downtime deployment using symbolic links (symlinks).
It supports multi-environment deployments (e.g., staging, production).
Install Deployer via Composer:
composer require deployer/deployer --devGenerate a config template:
vendor/bin/dep initConfigure deploy.php, e.g., for Laravel:
host('my-server.com')
->set('deploy_path', '/var/www/myproject')
->set('branch', 'main');
task('deploy', [
'deploy:prepare',
'deploy:vendors',
'artisan:migrate',
'deploy:publish',
]);Deploy your app:
vendor/bin/dep deploy productionDeployer:
Connects to the server via SSH
Clones your Git repo into a new release directory
Installs Composer dependencies
Runs custom tasks (e.g., php artisan migrate)
Updates the symlink to point to the new release (current)
Removes old releases if configured
In the context of the Laravel framework, "Artisan" is a command-line tool that comes with Laravel and is used to automate and simplify various development and management tasks. Artisan allows developers to quickly and easily perform common tasks without having to manually perform extensive steps each time.
Some of the most common uses of Artisan in Laravel include:
Code Generation: With Artisan, you can use commands to automatically generate code files such as controllers, models, migrations, and more. For example, you can use the php artisan make:controller command to create a controller for your application.
Database Migrations: You can use Artisan to create, run, and rollback database migrations, making it easy to manage and update your application's database schema.
Database Seeding: Artisan provides commands for seeding your database with test data, which is especially useful during development when you need sample data.
Artisan Commands: You can create your own custom Artisan commands to perform specific tasks within your Laravel application, allowing for automation of custom processes.
Cache Management: Artisan offers commands for clearing and rebuilding application caches to improve performance.
Task Scheduling: You can use Artisan to schedule and run tasks at specific times, automating tasks such as sending emails or performing cleanup operations.
Localization and Translation: Artisan commands can be used to translate and localize text into different languages, making your application internationalization-friendly.
Artisan is a powerful tool that makes the development of Laravel applications more efficient and user-friendly. Developers can leverage the available Artisan commands or even create their own commands to meet their application's specific requirements.
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