# GitHub Actions: Multi-Stage Deployment

Deploy to staging first, run tests, then promote to production with manual
approval. This pattern ensures changes are validated before reaching production.

```yaml title=".github/workflows/multi-stage.yaml"
name: Multi-Stage Deployment

on:
  push:
    branches:
      - main

jobs:
  deploy-staging:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    env:
      ZUPLO_API_KEY: ${{ secrets.ZUPLO_API_KEY }}
    outputs:
      staging-url: ${{ steps.deploy.outputs.url }}

    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
        with:
          node-version: 20

      - name: Install dependencies
        run: npm install

      - name: Deploy to staging
        id: deploy
        shell: bash
        run: |
          OUTPUT=$(npx zuplo deploy --api-key "$ZUPLO_API_KEY" --environment staging 2>&1)
          echo "$OUTPUT"
          DEPLOYMENT_URL=$(echo "$OUTPUT" | grep -oP 'Deployed to \K(https://[^ ]+)')
          echo "url=$DEPLOYMENT_URL" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT

  test-staging:
    needs: deploy-staging
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest

    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
        with:
          node-version: 20

      - name: Install dependencies
        run: npm install

      - name: Run tests against staging
        run:
          npx zuplo test --endpoint "${{
          needs.deploy-staging.outputs.staging-url }}"

  deploy-production:
    needs: test-staging
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    env:
      ZUPLO_API_KEY: ${{ secrets.ZUPLO_API_KEY }}
    # Require manual approval
    environment: production

    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
        with:
          node-version: 20

      - name: Install dependencies
        run: npm install

      - name: Deploy to production
        run:
          npx zuplo deploy --api-key "$ZUPLO_API_KEY" --environment production
```

This workflow:

1. **Deploy to staging** — Every push to main deploys to staging
2. **Test staging** — Run your full test suite against staging
3. **Wait for approval** — The production job waits for manual approval
4. **Deploy to production** — After approval, deploy to production

## Setting Up Manual Approval

Create a GitHub environment with required reviewers:

1. Go to **Settings** > **Environments** > **New environment**
2. Name it `production`
3. Check **Required reviewers** and add approvers
4. Save the environment

When the workflow reaches the production job, it pauses until an approver clicks
**Review deployments** in the Actions UI.

## Adding More Stages

Add additional environments like QA or UAT:

```yaml
jobs:
  deploy-staging:
    # ...

  test-staging:
    # ...

  deploy-qa:
    needs: test-staging
    environment: qa
    # ...

  test-qa:
    needs: deploy-qa
    # ...

  deploy-production:
    needs: test-qa
    environment: production
    # ...
```

## Next Steps

- Combine with [tag-based releases](./tag-based-releases.mdx) for version
  control
- Add [local testing](./local-testing.mdx) before any deployment