Deployments

A Deployment defines what you want to deploy and how it gets deployed. It represents a service or application along with its job agent configuration — connecting the what (your service and its versions) with the how (the agent and workflow that executes the deployment).

In Ctrlplane’s mental model: Deployments = what & how, Environments = where, Policies = when.

What is a Deployment?

A deployment is a logical unit of software that you want to orchestrate:

API Service - Your backend API
Frontend Application - Web or mobile frontend
Background Worker - Async job processor
Database Migration - Schema changes
Configuration Update - Infrastructure configuration

Each deployment can have multiple versions (builds, releases) that get deployed to different environments and resources.

Deployment Properties

Property	Type	Required	Description
`id`	string	Auto	Unique identifier
`name`	string	Yes	Human-readable display name
`slug`	string	Yes	URL-friendly identifier, unique within the workspace
`description`	string	No	What this deployment does
`resourceSelector`	string	No	CEL expression limiting which resources can be targeted
`jobAgents`	array	No	Job agent configurations (see below)
`metadata`	object	No	Key-value pairs for classification

name

Human-readable display name for the deployment. Examples: “API Service”, “Frontend Application”, “Payment Processor”

slug

URL-friendly identifier, unique within the workspace. In the Terraform provider, the slug is auto-generated from the name field. Examples: api-service, frontend-app, payment-processor

resourceSelector

A CEL expression that limits which resources this deployment can target. If specified, only resources matching this expression will have release targets created. Examples:

resource.kind == "Kubernetes"

resource.version == 'ctrlplane.dev/kubernetes/cluster/v1' && resource.metadata['kubernetes/status'] == 'running'

resource.metadata['region'] == 'us-east-1'

If not specified, the deployment can target any resource in its environments.

jobAgents

An array of job agent configurations that execute deployment jobs. Each entry specifies which agent to use and how to configure it, with optional routing via selectors.

Field	Type	Required	Description
`ref`	string	Yes	Job agent reference identifier
`config`	object	Yes	Agent-specific configuration
`selector`	string	No	CEL expression for routing to specific resources

When multiple job agents are configured, the selector field determines which agent handles which resources. This enables patterns like using ArgoCD for some clusters and GitHub Actions for others within the same deployment.

metadata

Optional key-value pairs for classification and policy matching:

{
  "team": "backend",
  "language": "nodejs",
  "tier": "critical"
}

Metadata can be referenced in policy selectors (e.g., deployment.metadata['tier'] == 'critical').

Creating a Deployment

Via Terraform

GitHub Actions Agent
ArgoCD Agent

resource "ctrlplane_deployment" "api" {
  name              = "API Service"
  resource_selector = "resource.version == 'ctrlplane.dev/kubernetes/cluster/v1' && resource.metadata['kubernetes/status'] == 'running'"

  metadata = {
    team    = "backend"
    service = "api"
  }

  job_agent {
    id = ctrlplane_job_agent.github.id

    github {
      owner       = "my-org"
      repo        = "api-service"
      workflow_id = 12345678
    }
  }
}

resource "ctrlplane_deployment_system_link" "api" {
  deployment_id = ctrlplane_deployment.api.id
  system_id     = ctrlplane_system.main.id
}

resource "ctrlplane_deployment" "operator" {
  name              = "Weights & Biases Operator"
  resource_selector = "resource.version == 'ctrlplane.dev/kubernetes/cluster/v1' && resource.metadata['kubernetes/status'] == 'running'"
  metadata          = {}

  job_agent {
    id = ctrlplane_job_agent.argocd.id

    argocd {
      template = file("${path.module}/templates/application.yaml")
    }
  }
}

resource "ctrlplane_deployment_system_link" "operator" {
  deployment_id = ctrlplane_deployment.operator.id
  system_id     = ctrlplane_system.main.id
}

Deployments must be linked to a system using ctrlplane_deployment_system_link. This is a separate resource that associates a deployment with a system.

Via REST API

curl -X POST https://api.ctrlplane.com/v1/workspaces/{workspaceId}/deployments \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "API Service",
    "slug": "api-service",
    "description": "Main backend API service",
    "resourceSelector": "resource.kind == '\''Kubernetes'\''",
    "jobAgents": [
      {
        "ref": "github-actions-agent",
        "config": {
          "workflow": "deploy.yml",
          "owner": "my-org",
          "repo": "api-service"
        }
      }
    ],
    "metadata": {
      "team": "backend",
      "language": "nodejs"
    }
  }'

The API returns 202 Accepted with the deployment id. Reads are available immediately via GET /v1/workspaces/{workspaceId}/deployments/{deploymentId}.

Via CLI (YAML)

# deployment.yaml
type: Deployment
name: API Service
slug: api-service
description: Main backend API service
jobAgent:
  ref: github-actions-agent
jobAgentConfig:
  workflow: deploy.yml
  owner: my-org
  repo: api-service
resourceSelector: resource.kind == "Kubernetes"

ctrlc apply -f deployment.yaml

Multiple Deployments

Terraform
CLI

resource "ctrlplane_deployment" "api" {
  name              = "API Service"
  resource_selector = "resource.kind == 'Kubernetes'"
  metadata          = { service = "api" }

  job_agent {
    id = ctrlplane_job_agent.github.id
    github {
      owner       = "my-org"
      repo        = "api-service"
      workflow_id = 12345678
    }
  }
}

resource "ctrlplane_deployment" "frontend" {
  name              = "Frontend App"
  resource_selector = "resource.kind == 'Kubernetes'"
  metadata          = { service = "frontend" }

  job_agent {
    id = ctrlplane_job_agent.github.id
    github {
      owner       = "my-org"
      repo        = "frontend-app"
      workflow_id = 87654321
    }
  }
}

resource "ctrlplane_deployment_system_link" "api" {
  deployment_id = ctrlplane_deployment.api.id
  system_id     = ctrlplane_system.main.id
}

resource "ctrlplane_deployment_system_link" "frontend" {
  deployment_id = ctrlplane_deployment.frontend.id
  system_id     = ctrlplane_system.main.id
}

# deployments.yaml
---
type: Deployment
name: API Service
slug: api-service
description: Main backend API service
jobAgent:
  ref: github-actions-agent
jobAgentConfig:
  workflow: deploy.yml
  owner: my-org
  repo: api-service
---
type: Deployment
name: Frontend App
slug: frontend-app
description: Customer-facing web application
jobAgent:
  ref: kubernetes-agent
jobAgentConfig:
  namespace: default

ctrlc apply -f deployments.yaml

Job Agent Configuration

Each job_agent block (Terraform) or entry in the jobAgents array (API) configures how a specific agent executes deployments. The Terraform provider supports typed provider blocks for each agent type.

GitHub Actions

job_agent {
  id = ctrlplane_job_agent.github.id

  github {
    owner       = "my-org"
    repo        = "api-service"
    workflow_id = 12345678
    ref         = "main"
  }
}

Attribute	Type	Description
`owner`	string	GitHub repository owner
`repo`	string	GitHub repository name
`workflow_id`	int	GitHub Actions workflow ID
`ref`	string	Git ref to run on (defaults to `"main"`)
`installation_id`	int	GitHub App installation ID

ArgoCD

job_agent {
  id = ctrlplane_job_agent.argocd.id

  argocd {
    template   = file("${path.module}/application.yaml")
    server_url = "https://argocd.example.com"
  }
}

Attribute	Type	Description
`template`	string	ArgoCD Application template
`server_url`	string	ArgoCD server address
`api_key`	string	ArgoCD API token (sensitive)

Terraform Cloud

job_agent {
  id = ctrlplane_job_agent.tfc.id

  terraform_cloud {
    organization = "my-org"
    template     = file("${path.module}/workspace.json")
    token        = var.tfc_token
  }
}

Attribute	Type	Description
`organization`	string	Terraform Cloud organization name
`template`	string	Workspace template
`address`	string	Terraform Cloud address
`token`	string	API token (sensitive)

Agent Routing with Selectors

When a deployment uses multiple job agents, use selector to route to specific resources:

resource "ctrlplane_deployment" "app" {
  name              = "Application"
  resource_selector = "resource.kind == 'Kubernetes'"

  job_agent {
    id       = ctrlplane_job_agent.argocd.id
    selector = "resource.metadata['cluster-type'] == 'managed'"

    argocd {
      template = file("${path.module}/managed-app.yaml")
    }
  }

  job_agent {
    id       = ctrlplane_job_agent.github.id
    selector = "resource.metadata['cluster-type'] == 'self-hosted'"

    github {
      owner       = "my-org"
      repo        = "app-deploy"
      workflow_id = 12345678
    }
  }
}

Deployment Versions

Versions represent specific builds or releases of your deployment. They are typically created by your CI system after building.

Version Properties

Property	Type	Required	Description
`id`	string	Auto	Unique identifier
`deploymentId`	string	Auto	Parent deployment
`tag`	string	Yes	Version tag (e.g., `"v1.2.3"`, git SHA)
`name`	string	No	Human-readable name
`status`	string	No	`building`, `ready`, or `failed`
`config`	object	No	General version configuration, visible in UI
`jobAgentConfig`	object	No	Execution config (overrides deployment’s config)
`metadata`	object	No	Custom key-value pairs
`createdAt`	string	Auto	Creation timestamp

Creating Versions (from CI)

After your CI builds an artifact, create a version in Ctrlplane:

# GitHub Actions example
- name: Create Ctrlplane version
  env:
    CTRLPLANE_API_KEY: ${{ secrets.CTRLPLANE_API_KEY }}
  run: |
    ctrlc api upsert version \
      --workspace ${{ vars.CTRLPLANE_WORKSPACE }} \
      --deployment ${{ vars.CTRLPLANE_DEPLOYMENT_ID }} \
      --tag ${{ github.sha }} \
      --name "Build #${{ github.run_number }}" \
      --metadata git/commit=${{ github.sha }} \
      --metadata git/branch=${{ github.ref_name }} \
      --metadata build/number=${{ github.run_number }}

Or via the REST API:

curl -X POST https://api.ctrlplane.com/v1/workspaces/{workspaceId}/deployments/{deploymentId}/versions \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "tag": "v1.2.3",
    "name": "Release 1.2.3",
    "status": "ready",
    "config": {
      "buildNumber": "456"
    },
    "jobAgentConfig": {
      "imageTag": "my-org/api-service:v1.2.3"
    },
    "metadata": {
      "git_commit": "abc123def",
      "git_branch": "main"
    }
  }'

Version Status

Versions have a status field:

building - Version is being built (won’t be deployed yet)
ready - Version is ready for deployment (default for policies)
failed - Build failed (won’t be deployed)

Workflow:

CI starts building → Create version with status building
Build succeeds → Update status to ready
Ctrlplane creates releases/jobs for ready versions

Or simpler:

Build completes → Create version with status ready immediately

Version Config vs Job Agent Config

config: General version configuration, visible in UI

{
  "buildNumber": "456",
  "gitCommit": "abc123"
}

jobAgentConfig: Specific configuration for job execution (merged with the deployment’s job agent config at runtime)

{
  "imageTag": "my-org/api-service:v1.2.3",
  "helmValues": {
    "replicas": 3
  }
}

Deployment Variables

Variables allow environment-specific or resource-specific configuration that gets resolved at job creation time and passed to the job agent.

Via Terraform

The Terraform provider has dedicated resources for deployment variables and their values:

resource "ctrlplane_deployment_variable" "replica_count" {
  deployment_id = ctrlplane_deployment.api.id
  key           = "REPLICA_COUNT"
  description   = "Number of replicas to run"
  default_value = "1"
}

resource "ctrlplane_deployment_variable_value" "replica_count_prod" {
  deployment_id     = ctrlplane_deployment.api.id
  variable_id       = ctrlplane_deployment_variable.replica_count.id
  priority          = 0
  resource_selector = "resource.metadata['environment'] == 'production'"
  literal_value     = "5"
}

Reference Values

Variable values can reference data from the workspace or resource metadata instead of using literal values:

resource "ctrlplane_deployment_variable" "size" {
  deployment_id = ctrlplane_deployment.redis.id
  key           = "size"
  description   = "The size of the Redis deployment"
  default_value = "small"
}

resource "ctrlplane_deployment_variable_value" "size_from_workspace" {
  deployment_id     = ctrlplane_deployment.redis.id
  variable_id       = ctrlplane_deployment_variable.size.id
  priority          = 0
  resource_selector = "resource.version == 'ctrlplane.dev/kubernetes/cluster/v1'"

  reference_value = {
    reference = "workspace"
    path      = ["metadata", "size"]
  }
}

Via REST API

Create a variable:

curl -X PUT https://api.ctrlplane.com/v1/workspaces/{workspaceId}/deployments/{deploymentId}/variables/{variableId} \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "key": "REPLICA_COUNT",
    "description": "Number of replicas to run"
  }'

Set an environment-specific value:

curl -X PUT https://api.ctrlplane.com/v1/workspaces/{workspaceId}/deployments/{deploymentId}/variables/{variableId}/values/{valueId} \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "priority": 0,
    "value": "5"
  }'

Using Variables in Jobs

Variables are resolved during job creation and passed to the job agent:

# In GitHub Actions workflow
- name: Get job inputs
  uses: ctrlplanedev/get-job-inputs@v1
  id: job
  with:
    job_id: ${{ inputs.job_id }}

- name: Deploy with variables
  run: |
    echo "Replicas: ${{ steps.job.outputs.variable_REPLICA_COUNT }}"
    helm upgrade my-app ./chart \
      --set replicaCount=${{ steps.job.outputs.variable_REPLICA_COUNT }}

Release Targets

When you create a deployment, Ctrlplane automatically creates release targets by crossing the deployment with environments and resources. Formula: Deployment × Environment × Resource = Release Targets Example: Given:

Deployment: “API Service”
Environments: Development, Staging, Production
Resources in Production: 3 clusters

Release Targets Created:

API Service → Development → dev-cluster
API Service → Staging → staging-cluster
API Service → Production → prod-cluster-1
API Service → Production → prod-cluster-2
API Service → Production → prod-cluster-3

Each release target can receive deployment versions independently.

Filtering Release Targets

Use the deployment’s resourceSelector to limit which targets are created:

resource.version == 'ctrlplane.dev/kubernetes/cluster/v1' && resource.metadata['kubernetes/status'] == 'running'

Only resources matching this CEL expression will have release targets for this deployment.

Deployment Lifecycle

1. Create Deployment

Define the deployment in Ctrlplane with job agent configuration.

2. CI Builds and Creates Version

Your CI pipeline builds the artifact and creates a deployment version.

3. Ctrlplane Evaluates Policies

Ctrlplane checks policies (approvals, environment progression, etc.).

4. Jobs Created

For each release target that should receive the version, a job is created.

5. Job Agent Executes

The configured job agent picks up the job and executes the deployment.

6. Status Updated

The job reports status back to Ctrlplane.

REST API Reference

Deployment CRUD

Create:

POST /v1/workspaces/{workspaceId}/deployments

Get:

GET /v1/workspaces/{workspaceId}/deployments/{deploymentId}

Update:

PUT /v1/workspaces/{workspaceId}/deployments/{deploymentId}

Delete:

DELETE /v1/workspaces/{workspaceId}/deployments/{deploymentId}

List:

GET /v1/workspaces/{workspaceId}/deployments

Versions

Create version:

POST /v1/workspaces/{workspaceId}/deployments/{deploymentId}/versions

List versions:

GET /v1/workspaces/{workspaceId}/deployments/{deploymentId}/versions

Update version:

PATCH /v1/workspaces/{workspaceId}/deployment-versions/{deploymentVersionId}

Variables

Upsert variable:

PUT /v1/workspaces/{workspaceId}/deployments/{deploymentId}/variables/{variableId}

Upsert variable value:

PUT /v1/workspaces/{workspaceId}/deployments/{deploymentId}/variables/{variableId}/values/{valueId}

Terraform Provider Reference

Resource	Description
`ctrlplane_deployment`	The deployment itself
`ctrlplane_deployment_system_link`	Links a deployment to a system
`ctrlplane_deployment_variable`	Defines a deployment variable
`ctrlplane_deployment_variable_value`	Sets a value for a variable (with selectors)

Viewing Deployment Status

Via Web UI

Navigate to the deployment
See tabs:
- Versions: All versions created
- Releases: Active releases across targets
- Jobs: Execution history
- Variables: Configured variables

Via API

Get deployment details:

curl https://api.ctrlplane.com/v1/workspaces/{workspaceId}/deployments/{deploymentId} \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN"

List versions:

curl https://api.ctrlplane.com/v1/workspaces/{workspaceId}/deployments/{deploymentId}/versions \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN"

Common Patterns

Microservices

Terraform
CLI

resource "ctrlplane_deployment" "user_service" {
  name              = "User Service"
  resource_selector = "resource.kind == 'Kubernetes'"
  metadata          = { service = "user" }

  job_agent {
    id = ctrlplane_job_agent.argocd.id
    argocd { template = file("${path.module}/user-service.yaml") }
  }
}

resource "ctrlplane_deployment" "order_service" {
  name              = "Order Service"
  resource_selector = "resource.kind == 'Kubernetes'"
  metadata          = { service = "order" }

  job_agent {
    id = ctrlplane_job_agent.argocd.id
    argocd { template = file("${path.module}/order-service.yaml") }
  }
}

resource "ctrlplane_deployment" "payment_service" {
  name              = "Payment Service"
  resource_selector = "resource.kind == 'Kubernetes'"
  metadata          = { service = "payment" }

  job_agent {
    id = ctrlplane_job_agent.argocd.id
    argocd { template = file("${path.module}/payment-service.yaml") }
  }
}

# microservices.yaml
---
type: Deployment
name: User Service
slug: user-service
jobAgent:
  ref: argocd-agent
---
type: Deployment
name: Order Service
slug: order-service
jobAgent:
  ref: argocd-agent
---
type: Deployment
name: Payment Service
slug: payment-service
jobAgent:
  ref: argocd-agent

ctrlc apply -f microservices.yaml

Database + Application

resource "ctrlplane_deployment" "database_migration" {
  name              = "Database Migration"
  resource_selector = "resource.kind == 'Kubernetes'"

  job_agent {
    id = ctrlplane_job_agent.github.id
    github {
      owner       = "my-org"
      repo        = "migrations"
      workflow_id = 11111111
    }
  }
}

resource "ctrlplane_deployment" "api_service" {
  name              = "API Service"
  resource_selector = "resource.kind == 'Kubernetes'"

  job_agent {
    id = ctrlplane_job_agent.github.id
    github {
      owner       = "my-org"
      repo        = "api-service"
      workflow_id = 22222222
    }
  }
}

Use a Deployment Dependency policy to ensure migrations complete before the API deploys.

Multi-Platform

resource "ctrlplane_deployment" "web_service" {
  name              = "Web Service"
  resource_selector = "resource.kind == 'Kubernetes'"

  job_agent {
    id = ctrlplane_job_agent.argocd.id
    argocd { template = file("${path.module}/web.yaml") }
  }
}

resource "ctrlplane_deployment" "lambda_function" {
  name              = "Lambda Function"
  resource_selector = "resource.kind == 'AWSLambda'"

  job_agent {
    id = ctrlplane_job_agent.github.id
    github {
      owner       = "my-org"
      repo        = "lambda-deploy"
      workflow_id = 33333333
    }
  }
}

Best Practices

Naming

Good Names:

✅ “API Service”
✅ “Frontend Application”
✅ “Payment Processor”

Good Slugs:

✅ api-service
✅ frontend-app
✅ payment-processor

Avoid:

❌ “Service” (too generic)
❌ “api_service” (use hyphens)
❌ “API-SERVICE” (use lowercase)

Job Agent Configuration

Do:

✅ Use version’s jobAgentConfig for version-specific values (like image tags)
✅ Use deployment’s job agent config for stable configuration
✅ Keep sensitive data in secrets (not in config)
✅ Use agent selector when routing to different resource types

Version Tags

Good Tags:

✅ v1.2.3 (semantic version)
✅ 2024-01-15-prod (date-based)
✅ abc123def (git commit)

Avoid:

❌ latest (not specific)
❌ prod (not a version)
❌ test (too vague)

Resource Selectors

Use CEL resource selectors to:

Limit Kubernetes deployments to Kubernetes resources
Filter by resource status (e.g., resource.metadata['status'] == 'running')
Separate platform-specific deployments
Control which resources can receive a deployment

Troubleshooting

No release targets created

Check resourceSelector CEL expression matches some resources
Verify environments have matching resources
Ensure deployment is linked to a system (via ctrlplane_deployment_system_link in Terraform)

Jobs not being created for new versions

Check version status is ready
Review policies for denials/pending approvals
Verify job agent is configured
Check release target exists

Job agent config not working

Verify job agent block matches the agent type (e.g., github {} for GitHub Actions agents)
Check version’s jobAgentConfig overrides correctly
Review job agent logs for configuration errors

Next Steps

Releases and Jobs - Understand version lifecycle
Release Targets - How the deployment matrix works
CI/CD Integration - Integrate with your CI system
Job Agents - Configure deployment executors
Policies - Control when and how deployments proceed

​What is a Deployment?

​Deployment Properties

​name

​slug

​resourceSelector

​jobAgents

​metadata

​Creating a Deployment

​Via Terraform

​Via REST API

​Via CLI (YAML)

​Multiple Deployments

​Job Agent Configuration

​GitHub Actions

​ArgoCD

​Terraform Cloud

​Agent Routing with Selectors

​Deployment Versions

​Version Properties

​Creating Versions (from CI)

​Version Status

​Version Config vs Job Agent Config

​Deployment Variables

​Via Terraform

​Reference Values

​Via REST API

​Using Variables in Jobs

​Release Targets

​Filtering Release Targets

​Deployment Lifecycle

​1. Create Deployment

​2. CI Builds and Creates Version

​3. Ctrlplane Evaluates Policies

​4. Jobs Created

​5. Job Agent Executes

​6. Status Updated

​REST API Reference

​Deployment CRUD

​Versions

​Variables

​Terraform Provider Reference

​Viewing Deployment Status

​Via Web UI

​Via API

​Common Patterns

​Microservices

​Database + Application

​Multi-Platform

​Best Practices

​Naming

​Job Agent Configuration

​Version Tags

​Resource Selectors

​Troubleshooting

​No release targets created

​Jobs not being created for new versions

​Job agent config not working

​Next Steps

What is a Deployment?

Deployment Properties

name

slug

resourceSelector

jobAgents

metadata

Creating a Deployment

Via Terraform

Via REST API

Via CLI (YAML)

Multiple Deployments

Job Agent Configuration

GitHub Actions

ArgoCD

Terraform Cloud

Agent Routing with Selectors

Deployment Versions

Version Properties

Creating Versions (from CI)

Version Status

Version Config vs Job Agent Config

Deployment Variables

Via Terraform

Reference Values

Via REST API

Using Variables in Jobs

Release Targets

Filtering Release Targets

Deployment Lifecycle

1. Create Deployment

2. CI Builds and Creates Version

3. Ctrlplane Evaluates Policies

4. Jobs Created

5. Job Agent Executes

6. Status Updated

REST API Reference

Deployment CRUD

Versions

Variables

Terraform Provider Reference

Viewing Deployment Status

Via Web UI

Via API

Common Patterns

Microservices

Database + Application

Multi-Platform

Best Practices

Naming

Job Agent Configuration

Version Tags

Resource Selectors

Troubleshooting

No release targets created

Jobs not being created for new versions

Job agent config not working

Next Steps