This guide walks through the first deployment end-to-end. The goal is to have a real package deployed to a real target by the end of the read - not a hello-world, but something close to the structure of a production setup.
Five minutes of prep
- A Jaws Deploy Cloud workspace (sign up free, no card required).
- One target: a Windows or Linux machine you can install the agent on, or an Azure Web App.
- A build artefact - any zip, tarball, or NuGet package will do.
1. Create a workspace
A workspace is the root container. It holds projects, environments, lifecycles, feeds, targets, variables, and the team. After signup you land in an empty workspace with the default lifecycle Dev -> Staging -> Production already wired up.
2. Add an environment and a target
Go to Infrastructure -> Environments, open Dev, and click Add target. Two choices:
// Option A
Install the agent
On a Windows or Linux machine you control. Run the installer, paste the registration command, the agent connects outbound. The target appears in the environment within seconds.
// Option B
Add a cloud target
For Azure Web Apps, register the App Service through the Azure connection wizard. No agent install needed - the platform talks to the Azure management API directly.
3. Create a project
Projects -> New project. Give it a name. The project starts with an empty deployment process. Add one step - pick Deploy a package from the template list, point it at a package in the built-in feed (you can drag-and-drop a zip into the feed UI), and save.
4. Create and deploy a release
On the project page, click Create release. Jaws Deploy snapshots the deployment process, the package version, and the variable definitions into a release - a numbered, immutable record. Then click Deploy and pick Dev.
The live log opens. You'll watch the agent receive the work, extract the package, run any post-deploy hooks, and report success.
Next steps
With the basics working, the natural follow-ups are: connect your CI tool to create releases automatically, add a second environment and promote releases through the lifecycle, and replace inline values with scoped variables so the same process serves multiple environments cleanly.