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webburnshub edited this page Aug 6, 2026 · 1 revision

Webburns Deploy Wiki

Welcome to the official Webburns Deploy Wiki! This documentation provides a comprehensive guide to understanding, installing, and using Webburns Deploy across both its Command Line Interface (CLI) and Electron Desktop GUI Application.

Table of Contents

  1. Overview of Webburns Deploy
  2. Why Webburns Deploy?
  3. Traditional FTP Client vs Webburns Deploy
  4. Objective
  5. Vision & Core Problem
  6. Solution by Webburns Deploy
  7. Features
  8. Getting Started
  9. Installation
  10. CLI Reference
  11. GUI Reference

1. Overview of Webburns Deploy

Webburns Deploy is a modern, developer-first deployment management platform built specifically for web projects hosted on traditional shared hosting, VPS, or dedicated servers using FTP, FTPS, or SFTP. Available as both a lightweight, high-performance Node.js CLI tool (wb) and a sleek cross-platform Electron Desktop application, Webburns Deploy transforms legacy file-transfer protocols into structured, automated, and safe release pipelines.

┌────────────────────────┐      ┌───────────────────────────────┐      ┌────────────────────────┐
│  Local Source Directory │ ---> │  Webburns Deploy Engine       │ ---> │  Remote Hosting Server │
│  (Git repo / build dir)│      │  (Delta + Backup + SHA-256)   │      │  (FTP / FTPS / SFTP)   │
└────────────────────────┘      └───────────────────────────────┘      └────────────────────────┘

2. Why Webburns Deploy?

For over two decades, web developers publishing sites to traditional shared web hosts (such as cPanel, Plesk, DirectAdmin, or generic FTP servers) have been forced to rely on visual file-manager clients or basic upload utilities. These legacy tools present severe operational risks:

  • Blind Transfers: Legacy clients re-upload thousands of unchanged files, wasting bandwidth and time.
  • No Safety Net: If an upload is interrupted or breaks a live site, there is no built-in way to revert.
  • Lack of Visibility: Zero structured logs or historical records of what was deployed, by whom, or when.
  • Configuration Overwrites: Production environment files (.env, config files) are frequently overwritten by local development files.

Webburns Deploy was created to eliminate these risks entirely by providing Git-like control and safety without requiring server-side SSH or Git installation.

3. Traditional FTP Client vs Webburns Deploy

Feature Traditional FTP Clients (e.g. FileZilla, Cyberduck) Webburns Deploy (wb CLI & Desktop App)
Transfer Logic Full directory copy or manual selection Smart Delta Engine (SHA-256 content hashing)
Speed Slow (transfers all files one-by-one) Lightning Fast (only modified/new files uploaded)
Backup System None (manual backup required prior to upload) Automatic Pre-Deploy Snapshots (.tar.gz / .zip)
Rollback Support Impossible (no versioning) 1-Click Instant Rollback to any past release
Deployment History None Immutable Local SQLite Audit Log
Ignore Rules Basic filename filters .wbignore Glob Syntax (like .gitignore)
Environment Handling Manual file replacement Multi-Profile Vault (Production, Staging, Dev)
Health Diagnostics None Built-in wb doctor Server Health Suite
Interface Legacy Dual-Pane Directory Tree Modern CLI + Sleek Dark-Theme Desktop GUI

4. Objective

The primary objective of Webburns Deploy is to bring modern Git-like deployment workflows to users of traditional FTP/SFTP hosting.

By abstracting raw protocol commands into structured operations (init, diff, push, rollback, history), Webburns Deploy empowers developers to maintain high deployment standards, implement staging/production separation, and achieve instant recovery without changing their existing hosting provider.

5. Vision & Core Problem

The Vision

To standardize web deployment across all hosting architectures, ensuring that developers publishing to a $3/month shared FTP host enjoy the same speed, security, and confidence as engineers deploying to modern cloud platforms.

The Core Problem

Most shared hosting environments do not provide SSH access, Git integration, or CI/CD runner capabilities. Consequently:

  1. Developers spend hours manually copying files.
  2. Production sites experience extended downtime during uploads ("partial upload window").
  3. Interrupted uploads leave websites in a corrupted state.
  4. Hotfixes are stressful and dangerous because there is no fast rollback mechanism.

6. Solution by Webburns Deploy

Webburns Deploy solves the core problem through four foundational architectural layers:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                      Webburns Deploy Architecture                        │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  1. Content Indexer   │ Hashes local files using SHA-256 algorithm       │
│  2. Delta Engine      │ Compares local index vs. remote manifest        │
│  3. Backup Manager    │ Creates a server-side snapshot before upload    │
│  4. Rollback Engine   │ Unpacks past snapshots instantly on command     │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
  1. Local State Indexing: Webburns Deploy generates a local SHA-256 fingerprint manifest of project files.
  2. Delta Engine: Only modified, added, or deleted files are transferred, reducing deploy times by up to 90%.
  3. Automated Remote Snapshotting: Prior to executing any changes, a compressed archive of the remote target folder is generated.
  4. Instant Rollback: If a deployment produces errors, wb rollback restores the pre-deploy snapshot in seconds.

7. Features

  • 🚀 Smart Delta Detection: Uses SHA-256 content hashing to upload only modified files.
  • 📦 Automated Remote Backups: Creates timestamped .tar.gz / .zip backups before every deployment.
  • ⏪ 1-Click / 1-Command Rollbacks: Revert to any previous deployment instantly.
  • 🌍 Multi-Environment Management: Easily manage Production, Staging, and Testing server profiles.
  • 🛡️ Ignore Pattern System: Protect sensitive or build-only files using .wbignore glob rules.
  • 🩺 Server Health Suite (wb doctor): Diagnostic tests for connection latency, permissions, disk space, and protocol compatibility.
  • 📜 Detailed Audit History: Local SQLite database tracks every deployment, file change, duration, and author.
  • 💻 Dual Interface: Full-featured CLI for terminal users/CI pipelines and an Electron Desktop GUI for visual workflows.
  • 🔒 Encrypted Vault: Secure AES-256 encryption for saved FTP/SFTP passwords and private key passphrases.

8. Getting Started

Follow these steps to initialize and deploy your first project:

Step 1: Initialize Project

In your local project directory:

wb init

This generates .wbignore and prompts for initial connection details.

Step 2: Configure Environment

Add your target server credentials:

wb env add production --host ftp.yourserver.com --user deployer --proto sftp --remote-dir /public_html

Step 3: Inspect Deployment Diff

Preview changes before touching the server:

wb diff

Step 4: Deploy

Push your changes safely:

wb push

Step 5: Rollback (If needed)

If any issue occurs on the live site:

wb rollback

9. Installation

CLI Installation (via NPM)

Ensure you have Node.js 18+ installed:

# Global installation
npm install -g @webburns/deploy

# Verify installation
wb --version

Desktop Application Installation

Download the pre-compiled installer for your operating system from the GitHub Releases page:

  • Windows: Webburns-Deploy-Setup-1.0.0.exe (Installer) or Webburns-Deploy-1.0.0.exe (Portable)
  • macOS: Webburns-Deploy-1.0.0.dmg (Apple Silicon & Intel)
  • Linux: Webburns-Deploy-1.0.0.AppImage or webburns-deploy_1.0.0_amd64.deb

10. CLI Reference

The CLI binary is invoked using wb. Below is the complete command reference:

Command Usage Description
wb init wb init [path] Initialize Webburns Deploy in the target directory
wb push wb push [env] Upload modified files and create a deployment release
wb diff wb diff [env] Preview local vs. remote file differences without uploading
wb rollback wb rollback [deploy-id] Rollback remote server to a previous deployment release
wb history wb history [limit] View chronological deployment history logs
wb env wb env <list|add|remove|switch> Manage deployment environment profiles
wb backup wb backup <list|create|restore> Manage remote server backup archives
wb doctor wb doctor [env] Run connection, permissions, and diagnostic health checks
wb status wb status Display current project state, active environment, and unpushed files
wb watch wb watch [env] Watch local files and automatically upload on save
wb config wb config <get|set> Manage global and project configuration settings
wb logs wb logs [limit] Output raw operational logs for debugging

11. GUI Reference

The Webburns Deploy Desktop Application provides a visual interface for managing deployments across multiple projects:

┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 📊 Webburns Deploy Desktop                                             │
├──────────────┬─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ 📊 Dashboard │  Project Overview: My Store Website                     │
│ 🚀 Deploy    │  Active Env: Production (ftp.mystore.com)              │
│ 📜 History   │  -----------------------------------------------------  │
│ 📦 Backups   │  [ 🚀 PUSH DEPLOYMENT ]   [ 🔍 REVIEW CHANGES ]         │
│ 🌍 Envs      │                                                         │
│ 🩺 Health    │  Recent Deployments:                                    │
│ ⚙️ Settings  │  • v1.0.2 - 2 mins ago (3 files changed)  [ ⏪ Rollback ] │
└──────────────┴─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

GUI Navigation Screens:

  1. Dashboard (📊):
    • Quick overview of active project status, total deployments, success rates, and quick-action shortcuts.
  2. Deploy Screen (🚀):
    • One-click deployment trigger with real-time transfer progress, step-by-step logs, and file transfer lists.
  3. History Screen (📜):
    • Searchable, filterable deployment timeline displaying author, commit hashes, modified file counts, and direct Rollback buttons.
  4. Environments Screen (🌍):
    • Form-based profile builder for FTP/FTPS/SFTP servers, port configuration, credential testing, and active profile toggling.
  5. Review Changes Screen (🔍):
    • Visual side-by-side file difference inspector highlighting added, modified, and deleted files prior to pushing.
  6. Health & Diagnostics Screen (🩺):
    • Visual execution of wb doctor testing server connectivity, read/write permissions, disk space, and SSL certificates.
  7. Logs Screen (📋):
    • Real-time stream of low-level protocol operations, status codes, and error traces with CSV/JSON log export capabilities.

Webburns Deploy is open-source software licensed under the MIT License.

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