Deploying Drupal: Patterns and Antipatterns

"Just copy the code to the server" was probably the best sales pitch of PHP (and other interpreted languages) for a long time. Then it got complicated with CMS’s. We introduced databases, and modules, and patches, and config. With config came config deployment and things got really complicated. Then front-end people began using CSS and JavaScript preprocessors. Backend people got hooked to automated tests, composer and modern frameworks. In an eye blink, PHP code generation was introduced as a necessary step before deployment and deployment became scary dark art, often with unanticipated results.

This session is going to try to untangle the complexity of deploying a modern Drupal 7 and Drupal 8 project. It will cover:

• Getting the code - drush make vs composer.
• Compiling the code - from committing compiled code to managing all the tools on a centralised server.
• Drupal config management and evolution from manual deployment to drush cim.

The goal of the session is not to give a “one size fits all” recipe on how to do deployment properly. Instead, it will try to offer an overview of existing problems and solutions, engage a discussion on how to make those solutions even better and allow people to choose right set of techniques for each project individually.