Deployment Guide

This guide covers deploying LamaPress themes to staging and production environments using Laravel Forge.

Table of Contents

• Overview
• Pre-Deployment Checklist
• Laravel Forge Setup
• Deployment Process
• Environment Configuration
• Post-Deployment

Overview

LamaPress deployments typically follow this flow:

1. Development - Local development with Herd
2. Staging - Laravel Forge staging environment
3. Production - Laravel Forge production environment

Pre-Deployment Checklist

Before deploying, ensure:

• [ ] All code is committed to GitHub
• [ ] Production build completed (npm run build)
• [ ] Build files committed (dist/ directory)
• [ ] Database migrations completed (if any)
• [ ] Environment variables configured
• [ ] Dependencies updated (composer install, npm install)
• [ ] Tests passed (if applicable)
• [ ] Code review completed

Building for Production

# Build production assets
npm run build

# Commit build files
git add dist/
git commit -m "Build production assets"
git push

Important: Always commit the dist/ directory with production builds.

Laravel Forge Setup

Initial Setup

1. Connect Repository - Link GitHub repository to Forge
2. Configure Server - Set up PHP version, Node.js version
3. Set Deployment Script - Configure deployment commands
4. Environment Variables - Set up environment-specific configs

Server Requirements

• PHP 8.4 (or as required by WordPress)
• Node.js v24 LTS
• Composer
• Git

Deployment Script

Typical Forge deployment script:

cd /home/forge/your-site.com
git pull origin main

# Install PHP dependencies
composer install --no-interaction --prefer-dist --optimize-autoloader --no-dev

# Install Node dependencies
npm ci

# Build assets
npm run build

# Clear caches (if applicable)
wp cache flush

Deployment Process

Automatic Deployment

Forge can automatically deploy on push:

1. Push to GitHub - Push to main/master branch
2. Forge Detects - Forge detects the push
3. Runs Script - Executes deployment script
4. Deploys - Updates files and runs commands

Manual Deployment

Deploy manually from Forge dashboard:

1. Go to site in Forge
2. Click "Deploy Now"
3. Monitor deployment logs
4. Verify deployment success

Deployment Steps

1. Pull Code - git pull origin main
2. Install Dependencies - composer install, npm ci
3. Build Assets - npm run build
4. Clear Caches - WordPress and application caches
5. Run Migrations - Database updates (if any)

Environment Configuration

WordPress Configuration

Set environment-specific constants in wp-config.php:

// Development
define('WP_DEBUG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_LOG', true);

// Staging
define('WP_DEBUG', false);
define('WP_DEBUG_LOG', false);

// Production
define('WP_DEBUG', false);
define('WP_DEBUG_LOG', false);

Environment Variables

Use Forge's environment variables for sensitive data:

# In Forge environment variables
LL_BUNNY_API_KEY=your_key_here
LL_GTM_ID=GTM-XXXXXXX

Access in wp-config.php:

define('LL_BUNNY_API_KEY', env('LL_BUNNY_API_KEY'));

Theme Constants

LamaPress constants in wp-config.php:

// Optional: Google Tag Manager
define('LL_GTM_ID', '');

// Optional: Cookie Consent
define('LL_COOKIE_CONSENT', '');
define('LL_COOKIEBOT_ID', '');

// Optional: Bunny.net
define('LL_BUNNY_API_KEY', '');
define('LL_BUNNY_LIBRARY_ID', '');
define('LL_BUNNY_PULL_ZONE', '');

Post-Deployment

Verification Steps

1. Check Site - Visit site and verify it loads
2. Check Assets - Verify CSS/JS are loading
3. Check Console - No JavaScript errors
4. Test Functionality - Test key features
5. Check Performance - Run Lighthouse audit

Common Issues

Assets Not Loading:

• Verify dist/ directory exists
• Check file permissions
• Verify manifest file exists

Styles Not Applied:

• Clear browser cache
• Check CSS files are loading
• Verify build completed successfully

JavaScript Errors:

• Check browser console
• Verify all dependencies installed
• Check for missing files

Best Practices

1. Always Test on Staging

Deploy to staging first, then production:

Development → Staging → Production

2. Use Environment Variables

Never commit sensitive data:

// ✅ Good
define('API_KEY', env('API_KEY'));

// ❌ Bad
define('API_KEY', 'hardcoded-key');

3. Monitor Deployments

Watch deployment logs for errors:

• Check Forge deployment logs
• Monitor error logs
• Set up error tracking

4. Rollback Plan

Keep previous deployment available:

• Tag releases in Git
• Keep backups
• Document rollback procedure

5. Database Backups

Always backup before deployment:

• Use Forge backup feature
• Manual database export
• Test restore procedure

Related Documentation

• Development Environment - Local setup
• Build Process - Build system
• Troubleshooting - Deployment issues

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Next Steps:

• Review Build Process for building assets
• Check Troubleshooting for common issues
• Learn about Performance Optimization