Workflows & Pipelines

Configure automated workflows to track deployments and enable accurate DORA metrics measurement for your team.

GitHub Actions Workflow

The easiest way to enable DORA metrics is through a GitHub Actions workflow that uses GitHub's built-in deployment tracking.

Benefits:

• Automatic deployment event creation
• Built-in environment URL tracking
• Status monitoring (pending, success, failure)
• Seamless DORA metrics integration

.github/workflows/deploy.yml

name: Deploy to Production

on:
  push:
    branches: [main]  # Change to your main branch

permissions:
  contents: read      # Required for checkout
  deployments: write  # Required for deployment tracking

jobs:
  deploy:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    
    # This creates a GitHub deployment object
    # which enables DORA metrics tracking
    environment:
      name: production
      url: https://your-app.com  # Your production URL
    
    steps:
      - name: Checkout code
        uses: actions/checkout@v4
      
      - name: Setup your deployment environment
        run: |
          # Add your deployment setup here
          # Examples:
          # - Install dependencies
          # - Build your application
          # - Configure deployment tools
          
      - name: Deploy to production
        run: |
          # Add your deployment commands here
          # Examples:
          # - Deploy to Heroku, Vercel, AWS, etc.
          # - Run database migrations
          # - Clear caches
          # - Restart services
          
      - name: Verify deployment
        run: |
          # Optional: Add health checks
          # curl -f https://your-app.com/health
          # or other verification commands

Key Configuration Points:

branches: [main] Change to your main branch name

environment.name Set environment (production, staging, etc.)

environment.url Your actual production URL

deployments: write Essential permission for DORA tracking

Bitbucket Pipelines

If you're using Bitbucket, you can enable DORA metrics using Bitbucket Pipelines with built-in deployment tracking.

Benefits:

• Automatic deployment event creation
• Environment-specific deployments
• Status monitoring and tracking
• Seamless DORA metrics integration

bitbucket-pipelines.yml

image: node:18

pipelines:
  branches:
    main:
      - step:
          name: "Deploy to Production"
          deployment: production
          script:
            # Build your application
            - npm ci
            - npm run build
            
            # Deploy your application
            # Add your deployment commands here
            # Examples:
            # - Deploy to Heroku, Vercel, AWS, etc.
            # - Run database migrations
            # - Clear caches
            # - Restart services
            - echo "Deploying to production..."
            
            # Optional: Verify deployment
            - echo "Verifying deployment..."
            # curl -f https://your-app.com/health
    
    develop:
      - step:
          name: "Deploy to Test"
          deployment: test
          script:
            - npm ci
            - npm run build
            - echo "Deploying to test environment..."

Key Configuration Points:

deployment: production Set deployment environment

branches: main Configure deployment branches

step: name Descriptive deployment step name

image: node:18 Choose appropriate runtime image

Verify Your Setup

Once you've set up deployment tracking, verify everything is working correctly.

What to Check:

• Deployments appear in your dashboard after successful runs
• DORA metrics start calculating (may take a few deployments)
• Environment and status information is correct
• Pull requests are automatically linked to deployments

View Deployments

FEATURED

In-Depth Guide

Learn the philosophy behind simple, reliable deployments and see real-world examples of GitHub workflow structures that scale. Includes YAML gotchas, deployment strategies, and practical tips.

Read: Structuring GitHub Workflows