Deployer
A PHP tool that automates deploying and provisioning PHP apps to servers.
- Stars
- 11.1k
- Forks
- 1.5k
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- PHP
- Last update
- 2 months ago
- Type
- Dev tool
What it is
Deployer is an open-source tool written in PHP that automates putting web applications onto servers. According to its README, it offers automatic server provisioning, zero-downtime deployments, and ready-to-use recipes for most frameworks. People use it to replace manual copying of files and server setup steps with a repeatable process.
- Deploy a PHP application to one or more servers with a single command
- Provision a fresh server with the software a PHP app needs
- Use a built-in framework recipe as a starting point for deployment
- Run deployments through the official GitHub Action or Docker image listed in the README
Great for
- PHP developers who deploy their own applications to servers
- Teams that want the same deployment steps run the same way every time
- People who want ready-made recipes for common PHP frameworks
- Projects that need server provisioning as well as deployment
Not ideal for
- Non-PHP projects, since the tool is built around PHP (reason: the README describes it as a PHP tool)
- People who only host on a fully managed platform and never touch servers (reason: the tool targets servers directly)
- Beginners with no command-line or server experience (reason: setup and use require terminal and server knowledge)
How to get it
- 1
See the README
You'll need: PHP
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/deployphp/deployer.git - 2
Run it
- Read the installation and usage documentation at deployer.org
- Install Deployer following the documented steps for your setup
- Define a deployment configuration for your PHP project, using a framework recipe if one fits
- Run a deployment against a test server first
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Use a built-in recipe for your framework instead of writing steps from scratch
- Try the official GitHub Action to run deployments in CI
- Use the Docker image if you want a containerized setup
- Test deployments on a staging server before production
Downloads
Strengths
- Covers both provisioning and deployment in one tool, per the README
- Advertises zero-downtime deployments as a core feature
- Released under the permissive MIT license
Trade-offs
- The README is short and points to deployer.org for details, so specifics are not covered here
- Relies on the user's familiarity with PHP and server administration
- Scope is limited to PHP-oriented workflows
How it compares
| Project | Stars | Type | Level | Updated | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| deployer (this) | 11.1k | Dev tool | intermediate | 2 months ago | PHP developers who deploy their own applications to servers |
| capistrano | 13k | Dev tool | intermediate | 4 days ago | Developers who already deploy by logging into servers over SSH and want that process repeated reliably |
| composer | 29.6k | Dev tool | beginner | 4 days ago | PHP developers starting a new project who want standard third-party libraries |
| phpstan | 14.1k | Dev tool | intermediate | 4 days ago | PHP developers who want to catch bugs earlier than tests alone allow |
| PHP-CS-Fixer | 13.6k | Dev tool | beginner | 5 days ago | PHP teams that want consistent code style without manual review comments |
| webhook | 12.2k | CLI | intermediate | 2 months ago | Developers who want a repository push to trigger a deploy script on their own server |
Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.