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Deployer

deployer.org

Free plan macOSLinuxAPISelf-hosted
Visit deployer.org
Spec score 8.7 #3 of 34 in Deployment Automation Software

What it is

Deployer is a PHP deployment tool for sending applications to servers. It switches releases through atomic symlinks, so a deployment does not expose an incomplete state, and a failed release can be reverted with one command. The command line can list releases and return to the latest good release. Tasks run concurrently across selected hosts by default, with an option to limit concurrency. Projects describe hosts and tasks in deploy.php or deploy.yaml files and may add custom build tasks. Recipes cover Laravel, Symfony, WordPress, Drupal, Magento, CakePHP, CodeIgniter, Yii, Contao, Shopware, TYPO3, and Sulu. Deployer connects over SSH, can open an interactive SSH session, and includes a recipe for provisioning Ubuntu with firewall, PHP, database, and HTTPS configuration. Installation is available through Composer, Phive, a PHAR bundle, or Docker. CI/CD guidance covers GitHub Actions, GitLab CI/CD, and Bitbucket Pipelines. It is free and open source, with Linux, macOS, API, and self-hosted options.

Spec sheet

What it does
Deployer is a PHP deployment tool for deploying applications to servers.Read 11 Oct 2026 · deployer.org
Purpose
Deployer describes itself as a PHP deployment tool for deploying PHP applications.Read 11 Oct 2026 · deployer.org
Deployment
It uses atomic symlink switching for zero downtime deployments and says a failed deployment can be rolled back in one command.Read 11 Oct 2026 · deployer.org
License
The GitHub repository identifies Deployer as MIT licensed.Read 11 Oct 2026 · github.com
CI/CD integrations
The CI/CD guide documents usage with GitHub Actions, GitLab CI/CD and Bitbucket Pipelines.Read 11 Oct 2026 · deployer.org
Configuration
A recipe defines hosts and tasks, and can be written as deploy.php or deploy.yaml.Read 11 Oct 2026 · deployer.org
Customization
Projects define hosts and tasks in a deploy.php or deploy.yaml recipe and can add custom build tasks.Read 11 Oct 2026 · deployer.org
Framework support
The site lists recipes for PHP frameworks and platforms including Laravel, Symfony, WordPress, Drupal, Magento, CakePHP, CodeIgniter, Yii, Contao, Shopware, TYPO3, and Sulu.Read 11 Oct 2026 · deployer.org
Install options
The documentation describes global and project Composer installations, Phive installation, and a Phar bundle that requires no Composer.Read 11 Oct 2026 · deployer.org
Installation
Deployer can be installed globally or per project through Composer, via Phive, or as a PHAR bundle; the download page also lists Docker.Read 11 Oct 2026 · deployer.org
Parallel deployment
Deployer can deploy to multiple servers simultaneously using parallel connections.Read 11 Oct 2026 · deployer.org
Provisioning
The provision recipe configures a server, including its firewall, PHP, database, and HTTPS.Read 11 Oct 2026 · deployer.org
Provisioning requirement
The provision recipe targets Ubuntu and requires root SSH key authentication to provision a new server.Read 11 Oct 2026 · deployer.org
Recipes
The documentation lists recipes for frameworks and platforms including Laravel, Symfony, WordPress, Drupal, Magento and TYPO3.Read 11 Oct 2026 · deployer.org
Release management
The CLI can list releases and roll back to the most recent good release before the current one.Read 11 Oct 2026 · deployer.org
Remote access
Deployer connects to deployment hosts over SSH and can open an interactive SSH session using its host configuration.Read 11 Oct 2026 · deployer.org
Rollback
The site says you can revert to a previous release in seconds.Read 11 Oct 2026 · deployer.org
Security practice
The host guide recommends keeping sensitive SSH parameters out of deploy.php and storing them in ~/.ssh/config.Read 11 Oct 2026 · deployer.org
Server access
Deployer connects to servers over SSH and reads the user's SSH configuration.Read 11 Oct 2026 · deployer.org
Support and documentation
The site links to documentation, getting started instructions, recipes, and community-contributed recipes.Read 11 Oct 2026 · deployer.org
Target users
The getting started guide walks through deploying a PHP project to an Ubuntu VPS and names Linode, DigitalOcean, Vultr, AWS and GCP as examples.Read 11 Oct 2026 · deployer.org
Who it is for
The documentation recommends project installation for CI/CD pipelines so a project can pin its Deployer version.Read 11 Oct 2026 · deployer.org
Zero downtime
It uses atomic symlink switching so users do not see a broken state during deployment.Read 11 Oct 2026 · deployer.org

Plans and prices

Free and open source Free PHP deployment tool; no paid plan or usage limits stated Read 11 Oct 2026 · deployer.org

Every Deployer plan and price →

Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • Atomic switching avoids an exposed broken release
  • One-command rollback to a previous release
  • Recipes cover major PHP frameworks and platforms
  • SSH access and interactive sessions are included
  • Free, open-source licensing

Limits

  • Provisioning targets Ubuntu servers
  • Provisioning requires root SSH key authentication
  • No free trial is listed

Who it suits

Deployer suits PHP teams deploying to remote servers, localhost, Amazon EC2, or Ubuntu VPS hosts. Project installation is intended for CI/CD pipelines that need a pinned Deployer version.

Verdict

Deployer provides configurable PHP releases, SSH access, rollback, and server provisioning in a free package. Its provisioning recipe is specifically aimed at Ubuntu and requires root SSH key authentication.

Where Specifiction places it

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