Setting up a Dev → Staging → Production Promotion Workflow

This article explains how to configure Spacelift for a development workflow where changes flow from developer-specific stacks through staging to production, with appropriate controls at each stage.

Prerequisites

Before setting up the workflow, ensure you have:

• Developer-specific stacks configured

• A staging stack

• A production stack

Configuration Steps

1. Enable Run Promotion

For your developer stacks, enable run promotion:

1. Go to the stack settings

2. Under the Behavior section, toggle "Run Promotion" on

2. Configure Staging Auto-deployment

Choose one of these options for staging deployment:

• Enable autodeploy in stack settings, or

• Create an approval policy to control when changes can be promoted

3. Set Up Stack Dependencies

Configure stack dependencies to create the promotion chain:

1. Add the staging stack as a dependency of your dev stacks

2. Add the production stack as a dependency of your staging stack

Workflow Operation

Once configured, the workflow operates as follows:

1. Developers push changes to their branch and test in their dev stack

2. When ready, developers create a PR

3. Upon PR approval, changes are automatically promoted to staging

4. After successful staging deployment, a plan is triggered in production

5. Production changes require manual approval before applying

Troubleshooting

If promotions aren't working as expected, verify:

• Run Promotion is enabled on the source stacks

• Stack dependencies are correctly configured

• Appropriate approval policies are in place