Deployments
Where users reach the project: lite for speed, full for production operations.
Choose a deployment type
Deployments are where users reach the project. Use a lite deployment to get a branch live fast for demos, internal review, and early usage. Use a full deployment when real users depend on the project and you need dedicated production operations.
| Criteria | Lite deployment | Full deployment |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Demos, internal review, and early users. | Software real users and the business depend on. |
| Runtime | A managed runtime that follows a repository branch. | A dedicated, SOC 2 ready environment in the project's cloud: GCP, Azure, or AWS. |
| Setup | Starts from the branch with no cloud environment to create. | Approved through a project.yaml pull request, then provisioned end to end. |
| Updates | Releases each commit to the branch. | GCP and AWS deployments release each push to the branch. |
| Operations | Logs and a terminal into the running deployment. | Logs, metrics, DNS, certificates, observability, and isolated state. |
| Who can create | Project admins and Basic Access members. | Project admins. |
| Criteria | Lite deployment | Full deployment |
|---|---|---|
| Runtime | Starts the branch through the repository's Docker Compose contract on a managed runtime. | Creates or reuses the cloud environment boundary, attaches billing or subscription access, and creates the Terraform apply identity. |
| Source | Ensures the branch exists and updates the runtime when the branch receives pushes. | Deploys the declared branch through the provider's continuous-delivery path. |
| Variables | Resolves project and deployment variables and the managed integrations that support lite deployments. | Writes variables into Terraform configuration and the provider's secret store before the apply. |
| State | Keeps runtime status, URLs, and errors in Crucible. | Creates provider-specific artifact storage and isolated Terraform state so each environment applies and recovers independently. |
| Operations | No dedicated DNS workflow or cloud observability setup. | Provisions DNS, wires observability, and registers the deployment URL in Crucible. |
Choose the production deployment
Project admins mark the deployment that represents the live product with the Prod deployment selector above the deployment list. Choosing another deployment replaces the selection, and No Prod deployment clears it; Crucible never promotes a deployment on its own. The Prod deployment is tagged Prod and listed first.
- PR previews and deployments that are being deleted cannot be selected.
- A lite deployment marked Prod cannot be deleted until Prod is cleared or moved.
- Deleting a full deployment clears the selection during final cleanup.