Deployment Commands Examples

Last updated on 19th January 2026

Deployment commands allow you to automate tasks before and after file transfers during your deployments. This article provides practical examples of common deployment commands for various scenarios.

For detailed information on how to configure SSH commands, see the SSH Commands article.

Understanding Deployment Command Timing

Deployment commands can be executed at two key points during the deployment process:

  • Pre-deployment commands - Run before files are transferred to your server. Useful for preparing the environment, backing up data, or putting the application into maintenance mode.
  • Post-deployment commands - Run after files are transferred to your server. Used for cache clearing, running migrations, restarting services, or taking the application out of maintenance mode.

Common Pre-Deployment Command Examples

Enable Maintenance Mode

Put your application into maintenance mode before deployment to prevent users from accessing a partially deployed application:

cd /var/www/myapp && \
php artisan down --message="Deployment in progress" --retry=60

Create Database Backup

Back up your database before deploying changes that include migrations:

cd /var/www/myapp && \
mysqldump -u dbuser -p'password' database_name > /home/user/backups/db_backup_$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S).sql

Stop Application Services

Stop services that may lock files during deployment:

cd /var/www/myapp && \
sudo systemctl stop myapp-worker && \
sudo systemctl stop myapp-scheduler

Clear Temporary Files

Remove temporary files or caches before deployment:

cd /var/www/myapp && \
rm -rf storage/framework/cache/data/* && \
rm -rf storage/framework/views/*

Common Post-Deployment Command Examples

Install Dependencies

Install or update application dependencies after new code is deployed:

For PHP/Composer: bash cd /var/www/myapp && \ composer install --no-dev --optimize-autoloader

For Node.js/NPM: bash cd /var/www/myapp && \ npm ci --production

For Python/pip: bash cd /var/www/myapp && \ pip install -r requirements.txt

Run Database Migrations

Execute database migrations after deploying schema changes:

For Laravel: bash cd /var/www/myapp && \ php artisan migrate --force

For Django: bash cd /var/www/myapp && \ python manage.py migrate --noinput

For Rails: bash cd /var/www/myapp && \ bundle exec rake db:migrate RAILS_ENV=production

Clear Application Cache

Clear application and framework caches after deployment:

For Laravel: bash cd /var/www/myapp && \ php artisan cache:clear && \ php artisan config:clear && \ php artisan route:clear && \ php artisan view:clear

For Symfony: bash cd /var/www/myapp && \ php bin/console cache:clear --env=prod --no-debug

Restart Application Services

Restart application workers, queues, or web servers:

cd /var/www/myapp && \
sudo systemctl restart php8.1-fpm && \
sudo systemctl restart myapp-worker && \
sudo systemctl restart myapp-scheduler

Build Frontend Assets

Compile frontend assets after deploying new code:

cd /var/www/myapp && \
npm run build

Disable Maintenance Mode

Take your application out of maintenance mode after successful deployment:

cd /var/www/myapp && \
php artisan up

Warm Up Application Cache

Pre-populate caches for better performance after deployment:

For Laravel: bash cd /var/www/myapp && \ php artisan config:cache && \ php artisan route:cache && \ php artisan view:cache

Combined Deployment Workflow Example

Here's a complete example showing a typical deployment workflow with both pre and post-deployment commands:

Pre-Deployment Commands

  1. Enable maintenance mode: bash cd /var/www/myapp && php artisan down

  2. Backup database: bash cd /var/www/myapp && mysqldump -u dbuser -p'password' mydb > /home/user/backups/db_$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S).sql

Post-Deployment Commands

  1. Install dependencies: bash cd /var/www/myapp && composer install --no-dev --optimize-autoloader

  2. Run migrations: bash cd /var/www/myapp && php artisan migrate --force

  3. Clear and warm cache: bash cd /var/www/myapp && php artisan cache:clear && php artisan config:cache && php artisan route:cache

  4. Restart services: bash sudo systemctl restart php8.1-fpm && sudo systemctl restart myapp-worker

  5. Disable maintenance mode: bash cd /var/www/myapp && php artisan up

Important Considerations

Working Directory

Remember that SSH commands are executed from the user's home directory by default. Always use cd to change to your application directory at the start of each command:

cd /var/www/myapp && your-command-here

Multi-Line Commands

When running multiple commands, use && to chain them and ensure each command completes successfully before proceeding:

cd /var/www/myapp && \
composer install && \
php artisan migrate

Error Handling

Enable the "Stop deployment if this command fails" option for critical commands. This is especially important for: - Pre-deployment database backups - Service shutdown commands - Post-deployment migration commands

Command Timeout

Configure appropriate timeouts for commands that may take longer to execute: - Database migrations: 10-30 minutes depending on data volume - Dependency installation: 5-15 minutes - Asset compilation: 5-10 minutes - Cache warming: 2-5 minutes

Sudo Commands

If you need to run commands with elevated privileges, ensure your deployment user has the necessary sudo permissions. See the Running Sudo SSH Commands article for more information.

Testing Commands

Always test your commands manually on the server before adding them to DeployHQ to ensure they work as expected and don't cause deployment failures.

Framework-Specific Resources

For more framework-specific deployment command examples and best practices, consult your framework's deployment documentation:

Additional Resources