Reference
What is Deployment?
Deployment is moving code from where it was written to where it serves visitors. How it happens matters commercially: a documented, repeatable deployment is transferable to another developer, and an undocumented one is a dependency.
Also called: going live · publishing changes
The methods, worst to best
| Method | Problem |
|---|---|
| Editing files on the live server | No history, no testing, no way back |
| Manual FTP upload | Missed files, no record of what changed |
| Manual upload of a build output | Repeatable but easy to get wrong under pressure |
| Git-based automated deploy | Repeatable, recorded, and reversible |
What to ask a supplier
"How is the site deployed, and is that written down?" A process that exists only in one person’s head is the same continuity risk as code on one laptop, and it is far more common.
The rule that prevents most incidents
Never edit production directly. Every change goes through the same path, so what was tested is what is live — this is also the only way a rollback is possible.
Where this is covered in depth
A definition can only go so far. Who actually owns your website — a checklist you can verify today covers this properly — 3 minutes, free, no email required.
Who wrote this
Anas Bin Masud builds e-commerce sites and does technical SEO for businesses in the UK, Canada and Pakistan. These definitions come from client work rather than from a content brief — where an entry describes a mistake, it is usually one found on a real site. More about how I work.