Appwrite Functions are mini-applications in Appwrite with their own endpoints. Each function can have many deployments, which can be thought of as versions of the mini-application.
Appwrite Functions can be automatically deployed from Git repositories, so you can track changes to your function's code naturally as a part of you development workflow.
Create deployment
The recommended way to manage your Appwrite Function deployments is to use a version control system, like Git. This offers simple versioning and collaboration that will easily fit into the rest of your development workflow.
You can only use Git deployment for Appwrite Functions connected to Git. Create a new function with Git or connect your existing function to a Git repository in your function's Settings > Configuration > Git settings > Connect Git.
Using Git, checkout the branch you configured as the production branch when creating the Appwrite Function.
Create a new commit.
Push your new commit.
A new deployment will be automatically created, built and activated.
Commits to the production branch
When you push a commit to the production branch, usually main, a new deployment will be created, built, and activated. This means, the new deployments will immediately replace the current active deployment and handle all incoming requests.
Commits to other branches
When you push a commit to a branch other than the production branch, a new deployment will be created, but it will not be activated. This means, the new deployment will not handle any incoming requests until it is activated.
Git configuration
If you need to update your Git configuration, navigate to Functions > your function > Settings > Configuration > Git settings.
Entry point
The entry point is the code file contains the exported function that will be executed when the function is called. This entry point has a specific format that must be followed. You can find examples using a starter template or following the developing functions docs.
Root directory
The root directory is the root of the code that will be copied to the executor. If you have a monorepo, you can specify the subdirectory that contains the function's code using the root directory setting.
Share code between multiple functions
If you're sharing code between multiple Appwrite Functions in a monorepo, referencing files outside of the entry point file will not work. To share code between multiple functions, set the root directory to be the common root of the mono repo, and use cd <working directory> in your Build settings to navigate to the function's directory before building.
Another option is to use submodules in your Git repository to include shared code in each function's repository.
Debugging
If you updated your function's configuration but the deployment is not working as expected, you may need to first redeploy your function before the changes take effect.
If you notice your function is missing dependencies during build or at runtimes, update it's build settings. Navigate to Functions > your function > Settings > Configuration > Build settings. These commands will be ran before the function is built and can be used to install dependencies.
If you're missing some code files at build time, make sure they are included in the Git configuration's Root directory. Only files in the root directory folder will be copied to the executor.
If you're self-hosting Appwrite, you will need to configure some environment variables to enable Git deployments.