Software development has evolved significantly over the past decade, with DevOps practices becoming essential for delivering reliable, tested code to production environments. Recently, we completed a comprehensive migration of our Joomla extension build process from manual local builds to a fully automated Git-based release pipeline, fundamentally transforming how we deliver software to our users.
TL:DR – The significant step-change from a manual, error-prone process into a robust, automated pipeline that will serve as the foundation for all future development takes some time, but the reward is in the professional process and more reliable releases that will be the result.
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The Challenge: Manual Release Management
Our original development workflow relied on local build scripts that required manual intervention at every step. Developers would run build scripts locally, manually upload files to update servers, and hope that all steps were executed correctly. This approach introduced several critical risks:
- Human error was inevitable when manually copying files and updating manifests.
- Version inconsistencies occurred when different developers built releases with different local configurations.
- There was no standardised testing process before releases reached production.
- Release deployment required manual SSH access and file transfers.
- Most importantly, there was no audit trail of what code was actually deployed and when.
The Solution: Git-Based Automation Pipeline
We implemented a comprehensive automation pipeline that transforms a simple Git tag into a complete production release. The new workflow operates on a single principle: when a developer pushes a version tag to our Gitea repository, everything else happens automatically.
The pipeline begins with automated component building, where the system dynamically generates Joomla manifests with proper folder detection, creates installable ZIP packages with correct structure, and updates version numbers and creation dates automatically. This is followed by automated release creation in our Gitea repository with downloadable assets and SHA hash generation for security verification.
The system then handles automated update server deployment by generating Joomla update manifests with cryptographic hashes, deploying files to production update servers via SSH, and making updates immediately available to all users through Joomla's built-in update system.
Technical Implementation Details
The heart of our solution is a Gitea Actions workflow that triggers on Git tag pushes. When a developer tags a release (e.g., 'v1.0.13'), the system automatically builds the component using dynamically generated manifests that detect available folders and create proper Joomla extension structure.
Our build process generates the component manifest on-the-fly, ensuring that folder declarations match the actual codebase structure. This eliminates the manual maintenance of XML files and reduces the risk of missing files in releases. The system creates ZIP packages with the exact structure that Joomla expects: manifest files at root level, proper admin and site folder organisation, and correct language file placement.
Security is built into every step. We generate SHA256, SHA384, and SHA512 hashes for all releases, enabling Joomla to verify download integrity. The deployment process uses secure SSH key authentication and follows the principle of least privilege access.
Quality Assurance and Testing
One of the most significant improvements is the standardisation of our testing and quality assurance processes. Every release now follows identical build procedures, eliminating environment-specific variations that could introduce bugs.
The automated system ensures that installation messages, language files, and component metadata are consistently included in every release. This prevents the regression issues we experienced when manual builds sometimes omitted crucial files or configuration elements.
Version management is now completely automated and traceable. Each Git commit is linked to specific releases, providing a complete audit trail of what code changes were included in each production deployment.
Business Impact and Risk Reduction
The transformation from manual to automated releases has delivered significant business value. Release velocity has increased dramatically - what previously required manual coordination and multiple manual steps now happens in minutes with a single Git tag push.
Quality consistency has improved substantially. Every release follows identical procedures, eliminating human error and ensuring that all components (installation messages, language files, update manifests) are correctly included every time.
Risk reduction is perhaps the most important benefit. Automated deployment eliminates the risk of manual errors during production releases. Version control integration provides complete traceability of what code is deployed when. Standardised build processes ensure consistent quality across all releases.
Developer Experience Transformation
For our development team, the change has been transformational. Releasing a new version is now as simple as creating a Git tag. Developers can focus on writing code rather than managing complex build and deployment procedures.
The system provides immediate feedback through the Gitea Actions interface, showing build progress, any errors encountered, and successful deployment confirmation. This transparency builds confidence in the release process and enables rapid issue resolution when problems occur.
Documentation and knowledge sharing have improved significantly. The entire build process is now codified in version-controlled scripts, making it easy for team members to understand, modify, and improve the release workflow.
Foundation for DevOps Excellence
This release automation project establishes the foundation for broader DevOps practices across our Ezone ecosystem extensions. The patterns and infrastructure we've built can be rapidly applied to our other components, modules, and plugins.
We've created reusable build scripts and workflows that can be adapted for different extension types while maintaining consistency in quality and security standards. The infrastructure supports future enhancements like automated testing integration, staging environment deployments, and advanced monitoring capabilities.
Most importantly, we've established a culture of automation and reliability that will guide future development practices. Teams now expect automated, reliable deployment processes, raising the bar for all future development work.
Looking Forward: Continuous Improvement
The migration to automated release management represents just the beginning of this particular DevOps journey. Future enhancements will include automated testing integration to run comprehensive test suites before releases, staging environment automation for pre-production validation, and enhanced monitoring and alerting for production deployments.
We're also exploring advanced Git workflow patterns, including feature branch automation and automated code quality checks. The infrastructure we've built provides a solid foundation for these more sophisticated practices.
The transformation from manual local builds to automated Git-based releases demonstrates the profound impact that DevOps practices can have on software quality, team productivity, and business risk reduction. For any development team still relying on manual release processes, the investment in automation pays dividends in reliability, speed, and developer satisfaction from day one.
And, because it is running on our own installation of gitea, it is private and secure. See Running Gitea with Let’s Encrypt on macOS via Homebrew for details. It was complex to set up, you need to know macOS, Homebrew, SSL, Lets Encrypt and Git but it absolutely flies now it is running.
