Publishing an app

After releasing an app version, you must also validate its changes by running A/B tests and trying its new settings.

However, since it is not possible to install an app that exists only in a local environment, you must first publish it and then install it in the desired account to run tests.

Step by step

1. Make sure the app you are about to publish has already been released.

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️ To publish your app, you must be logged in to the account responsible for the app development. Make sure the app’s vendor is equal to the account you are logged in.

2. In your terminal, run the vtex publish {appvendor}.{appname}@{appversion} command.

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️ Remember to replace the values between the curly brackets according to your scenario.

By performing this action, you will turn the new app version in which you were working into a candidate version.

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️ A candidate version is an app version that meets all the requirements needed to be deployed.

3. Using a Production workspace, install the candidate version by indicating to the Toolbelt the new app's exact version.

4. Test the candidate version’s stability by means of an A/B test.

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️ If you are releasing a beta version and have already tested all the app settings, to proceed to the next steps, you must first: release a non-beta version, publish it, install it in a production workspace, and test it once more using the A/B test.

5. If all the app changes have already been tested and everything is working as expected, run the vtex deploy {appvendor}.{appname}@{appversion} command.

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️ After publishing an app, you must wait 7 minutes to deploy it. Otherwise, you'll receive an "Invalid state transition" error from the Toolbelt. However, if you are using a Toolbelt version higher than 2.118.0 and deploying a hotfix, you can use the --force flag to instantly deploy your app version.

By performing this action, you'll publish the candidate version as a stable version. Also, Housekeeper will automatically update the new app stable version on all accounts that have the app installed.

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️ Publishing an app is one of the steps to making your code's new version public. For more details on how to make your app available to your end-users and to better understand the full procedure, access the recipe on Making your new app version publicly available.