Deployment at Beginning of Week

Oct 13, 2025 by pynkocean.com 66 views

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Drafting on Friday

The release process is a crucial step in ensuring that the Open Food Network (OFN) is always up-to-date and running smoothly. In this article, we will walk you through the steps involved in drafting a new release, testing it, and deploying it to all managed instances.

Step 1: Merge Pull Requests and Update Translations

The first step in drafting a new release is to merge all pull requests that are ready to go. This involves checking the [Ready To Go] column on the project board and merging any pull requests that are marked as ready. Additionally, you need to include translations by running the script/release/update_locales script. This script requires the Transifex Client to be installed on your local development environment.

script/release/update_locales

Once you have merged all pull requests and updated translations, you need to increment the version number. This involves pushing the updated version number to the upstream repository using the following command:

git push upstream HEAD:refs/tags/vX.Y.Z

The version number should be incremented based on the type of change made. For example, if server changes are required, you should increment the major version number. If larger changes are made that are irreversible, you should increment the minor version number. Otherwise, you should increment the patch version number.

Step 2: Draft New Release

Once you have merged all pull requests and updated translations, you can draft a new release. This involves selecting a new release tag, generating release notes, and checking to ensure that all items are arranged in the right category. You can use previous releases as inspiration for drafting new releases.

Draft new release

To draft a new release, you need to:

Select a new release tag
Generate release notes and check to ensure that all items are arranged in the right category

Step 3: Notify Instance Managers

Once you have drafted a new release, you need to notify instance managers of user-facing changes, API changes, and experimental changes. This involves notifying instance managers in the [#instance-managers] channel on Slack.

Notify instance managers

To notify instance managers, you need to:

Notify instance managers in the [#instance-managers] channel on Slack
Inform them of user-facing changes, API changes, and experimental changes

Testing

The next step in the release process is testing. This involves moving the issue to the Test Ready column, notifying testers in the [#testing] channel, testing the build, and notifying a deployer to deploy it.

Step 1: Move Issue to Test Ready

The first step in testing is to move the issue to the Test Ready column. This involves moving the issue to the Test Ready column on the project board.

Move issue to Test Ready

Step 2: Notify Testers

Once you have moved the issue to the Test Ready column, you need to notify testers in the [#testing] channel. This involves notifying testers in the [#testing] channel on Slack.

Notify testers

Step 3: Test Build

The next step in testing is to test the build. This involves deploying the build to staging using the [Deploy to Staging] workflow.

Test build

Step 4: Notify Deployer

Once you have tested the build, you need to notify a deployer to deploy it. This involves notifying a deployer in the [#global-community] channel on Slack.

Notify deployer

Deployment at Beginning of Week

The final step in the release process is deployment. This involves publishing the new release, notifying the global community, deploying the new release to all managed instances, notifying instance managers, and creating an issue for the next release.

Step 1: Publish and Notify Global Community

The first step in deployment is to publish the new release. This involves publishing the new release to the OFN website.

Publish new release

Once you have published the new release, you need to notify the global community. This involves notifying the global community in the [#global-community] channel on Slack.

Notify global community

Step 2: Deploy New Release

The next step in deployment is to deploy the new release to all managed instances. This involves running the following command:

cd ofn-install
git pull
ansible-playbook --limit all_prod --extra-vars "git_version=vX.Y.Z" playbooks/deploy.yml

Step 3: Notify Instance Managers

Once you have deployed the new release, you need to notify instance managers. This involves notifying instance managers in the [#instance-managers] channel on Slack.

Notify instance managers

Step 4: Create Issue for Next Release

The final step in deployment is to create an issue for the next release. This involves creating an issue for the next release and confirming with the next release drafter in the [#delivery-circle] channel on Slack.

Create issue for next release

The full process is described at https://github.com/openfoodfoundation/openfoodnetwork/wiki/Releasing.

By following these steps, you can ensure that the OFN is always up-to-date and running smoothly. Remember to merge pull requests, update translations, draft new releases, notify instance managers, test builds, notify deployers, publish new releases, deploy new releases, notify instance managers, and create issues for next releases.

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Frequently Asked Questions

In this article, we will answer some of the most frequently asked questions about the release process.

Q: What is the release process?

A: The release process is a series of steps that are followed to ensure that the Open Food Network (OFN) is always up-to-date and running smoothly. The process involves drafting a new release, testing it, and deploying it to all managed instances.

Q: What is the purpose of the release process?

A: The purpose of the release process is to ensure that the OFN is always up-to-date and running smoothly. This involves fixing bugs, adding new features, and improving the overall performance of the platform.

Q: Who is responsible for the release process?

A: The release process is the responsibility of the delivery circle, which includes the release drafter, testers, deployers, and instance managers.

Q: What are the steps involved in the release process?

A: The steps involved in the release process are:

Drafting a new release
Testing the build
Deploying the new release to all managed instances
Notifying instance managers
Creating an issue for the next release

Q: What is the role of the release drafter?

A: The release drafter is responsible for drafting a new release. This involves selecting a new release tag, generating release notes, and checking to ensure that all items are arranged in the right category.

Q: What is the role of the testers?

A: The testers are responsible for testing the build. This involves deploying the build to staging using the [Deploy to Staging] workflow and testing it to ensure that it is working correctly.

Q: What is the role of the deployers?

A: The deployers are responsible for deploying the new release to all managed instances. This involves running the following command:

cd ofn-install
git pull
ansible-playbook --limit all_prod --extra-vars "git_version=vX.Y.Z" playbooks/deploy.yml

Q: What is the role of the instance managers?

A: The instance managers are responsible for notifying instance managers of user-facing changes, API changes, and experimental changes. This involves notifying instance managers in the [#instance-managers] channel on Slack.

Q: What is the role of the next release drafter?

A: The next release drafter is responsible for creating an issue for the next release. This involves creating an issue for the next release and confirming with the next release drafter in the [#delivery-circle] channel on Slack.

Q: What is the purpose of the Transifex Client?

A: The Transifex Client is a tool that is used to manage translations for the OFN. It is used to update translations and ensure that the platform is available in multiple languages.

Q: What is the purpose of the [Deploy to Staging] workflow?

A: The [Deploy to Staging] workflow is a workflow that is used to deploy the build to staging. It is used to test the build and ensure that it is working correctly before deploying it to production.

Q: What is the purpose of the [#instance-managers] channel on Slack?

A: The [#instance-managers] channel on Slack is a channel that is used to notify instance managers of user-facing changes, API changes, and experimental changes.

Q: What is the purpose of the [#delivery-circle] channel on Slack?

A: The [#delivery-circle] channel on Slack is a channel that is used to communicate with the delivery circle, including the release drafter, testers, deployers, and instance managers.

Q: Where can I find more information about the release process?

A: You can find more information about the release process on the OFN wiki at https://github.com/openfoodfoundation/openfoodnetwork/wiki/Releasing.

By following these steps and understanding the roles and responsibilities of each team member, you can ensure that the OFN is always up-to-date and running smoothly.