Cloud Deploy gets deploy parameters, new console creation flows, and reduced pricing

When it comes to software delivery and deployments, details matter. Earlier this year, we added parallel deployments to Cloud Deploy. Since launching that feature, we’ve received feedback to support differentiated release deployments across individual child targets. To enable this, we are pleased to introduce deploy parameters to Cloud Deploy in Preview, allowing you to configure your deployments for the ‘last mile’,  prior to rollout. 

We’ve also reduced the price of an active Cloud Deploy delivery pipeline and expanded no-charge usage to include single-target delivery pipelines, making it easier to get started with Cloud Deploy. 

Finally, creating your first pipeline in Cloud Deploy is now easier than ever! You can now create simple delivery pipelines and targets, and releases directly in thbe Cloud Deploy console for trials and experimentation. 

Let’s take a deeper look at each of these Cloud Deploy enhancements. 

Deploy parameters

Deploy parameters will greatly increase the utility of parallel deploys, and other use cases, in Cloud Deploy. Deploy parameters allow you to specify key value replacements to be applied before deployment. The replacements can be associated directly to a target, matched as part of a delivery pipeline’s progression sequence, or passed in upon release creation.

Deploy parameter uses include:

differentiating child-target deploy manifests with a delivery pipeline as part of a parallel deploy, 

configuring a deploy manifest value that should always be applied for a given target, such as a region-specific setting

applying a value to all target deploy manifests at release creation, such as including a commit SHA with all deployed manifest

You can also use all three approaches at once. Deploy parameters are collected and applied together. See the quickstart.

In short, with deploy parameters, you have increased flexibility to create  ‘last-mile’ deploy configurations at release creation, within a delivery pipeline, and for specific targets. 

Reduced price, expanded no charge use

Ever since Cloud Deploy went GA, users have told us that they would like to do more with Cloud Deploy. To facilitate that, Cloud Deploy’s no-charge usage now includes all single-target delivery pipelines. We’ve reduced the price for active multiple-target delivery pipelines(underlying service charges continue to apply, as today). These changes make Cloud Deploy more accessible, and allow you to further explore how to use it in your own environment.

See Cloud Deploy’s updated pricing for details.

Delivery pipeline and release creation in the console

To date, creating and deleting delivery pipelines, targets, and releases was limited to the gcloud deploy command line interface. Now, you can create simple delivery pipelines, targets, and releases directly within the Cloud Deploy console. These new creation flows make it easier and quicker to trial Cloud Deploy, enabling experimentation with features such as configuring a progression sequence and setting and performing approvals, promotion and rollback.

The future

Comprehensive, easy-to-use, and cost-effective DevOps tools are key to building an efficient software delivery capability, and it’s our hope that Cloud Deploy will help you implement complete CI/CD pipelines. Stay tuned as we introduce exciting new capabilities and features to Cloud Deploy in the months to come. 

In the meantime, check out the product page, documentation, quickstarts, and tutorials. Finally, If you have feedback on Cloud Deploy, you can join the conversation. We look forward to hearing from you!