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Hosted vs. Self-Hosted

This page covers self-hosted deployments, where you run Runlayer on your own infrastructure via Terraform or Helm. On Runlayer-hosted deployments, Runlayer operates the infrastructure and applies updates for you — no action is required on your side. Release notes for every version are published in the changelog; for hosted update timing and policies, contact support@runlayer.com.

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Update Process

Runlayer updates are manual and controlled through Terraform. There is no automated update system - you have full control over when and how updates are applied.

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How Updates Work

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Container Images

Runlayer uses automated semantic versioning with multiple tag options: 
# Available image tag formats
image = "170974506510.dkr.ecr.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/backend-production:latest"         # Always latest
image = "170974506510.dkr.ecr.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/backend-production:v1.2.3"         # Stable version
image = "170974506510.dkr.ecr.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/backend-production:20241213-152430" # Timestamp
Available Tag Types:
  • latest: Always points to the most recent release
  • v1.2.3: Semantic version tags for stable deployments
  • 20241213-152430: Timestamp-based tags for specific builds
  • v1.2.3-20241213-152430-a1b2c3d4: Full build traceability (includes commit SHA)

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Update Methods

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Version Management Strategies

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Automated Versioning System

Runlayer uses automated semantic versioning based on conventional commits:
How versions are determined:
  • Patch bump (v1.2.3 → v1.2.4): Bug fixes, documentation updates
  • Minor bump (v1.2.3 → v1.3.0): New features (feat: commits)
  • Major bump (v1.2.3 → v2.0.0): Breaking changes (feat!: or BREAKING CHANGE:)

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Deployment Strategies

Always get the newest version:
# Terraform configuration
image = "170974506510.dkr.ecr.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/backend-production:latest"
Benefits:
  • Automatic security patches
  • Latest features and improvements
  • Minimal maintenance overhead
Considerations:
  • Updates happen when you run terraform apply
  • May include breaking changes in major versions
Use stable version tags for production:
# Pin to specific major.minor version
image = "170974506510.dkr.ecr.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/backend-production:v1.2.3"

# Or pin to major version (gets patch updates)
image = "170974506510.dkr.ecr.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/backend-production:v1.2"
Benefits:
  • Predictable deployments
  • Control over when breaking changes are applied
  • Easy rollbacks by changing version tags
Update process:
# Update to newer version
terraform apply -var="backend_version=v1.3.0"
Test versions before production deployment:
# Staging: Use latest for testing
image = "170974506510.dkr.ecr.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/backend-production:latest"

# Production: Pin to tested version
image = "170974506510.dkr.ecr.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/backend-production:v1.2.3"
Workflow:
  1. New version deploys to staging automatically
  2. Test thoroughly in staging environment
  3. Update production to use tested version tag
  4. Rollback easily if issues arise

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Finding Available Versions

List all available versions:
# List backend versions
aws ecr describe-images \
  --repository-name backend-production \
  --registry-id 170974506510 \
  --region us-east-1 \
  --query 'imageDetails[*].imageTags' \
  --output table

# List frontend versions
aws ecr describe-images \
  --repository-name frontend-production \
  --registry-id 170974506510 \
  --region us-east-1 \
  --query 'imageDetails[*].imageTags' \
  --output table

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Update Monitoring

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Health Checks During Updates

The ECS service configuration includes automatic health monitoring: 
# Health check configuration
health_check_path = "/api/v1/utils/health-check/"  # Backend
health_check_path = "/"                            # Frontend
Monitor deployment progress: 
# Watch service status
aws ecs describe-services \
  --cluster anysource-production \
  --services backend-service frontend-service

# Check target group health
aws elbv2 describe-target-health \
  --target-group-arn <target-group-arn>

# View application logs
aws logs tail /aws/ecs/backend-logs-production --follow

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Rollback Procedures

1

Version Rollback (Recommended)

Rollback to a previous semantic version:
# Update your terraform configuration
image = "170974506510.dkr.ecr.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/backend-production:v1.2.2"  # Previous version

# Apply the change
terraform apply -var-file="production.tfvars"
Benefits:
  • Clean rollback to known stable version
  • Maintains deployment history
  • Easy to communicate to team
2

Emergency Service Rollback

If immediate rollback is needed:
# Stop the current deployment
aws ecs update-service \
  --cluster anysource-production \
  --service backend-service \
  --desired-count 0

# Scale back up (will use previous task definition)
aws ecs update-service \
  --cluster anysource-production \
  --service backend-service \
  --desired-count 2
Then update to stable version:
terraform apply -var="backend_version=v1.2.2"

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Database Migrations

Database updates require special handling:

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Manual Migration Process

# 1. Backup database before migrations
aws rds create-db-cluster-snapshot \
  --db-cluster-identifier anysource-production \
  --db-cluster-snapshot-identifier backup-before-update-$(date +%Y%m%d)

# 2. Run migrations (usually handled by application startup)
# Backend container automatically runs migrations on startup

# 3. Verify migration success
curl https://your-domain.com/api/v1/utils/health-check/

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Migration Safety

  • Automated backups: Aurora automatically backs up every 7 days (configurable)
  • Point-in-time recovery: Can restore to any point within backup retention period
  • Cluster snapshots: Manual snapshots before major updates

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Security Updates

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Critical Security Patches

1

Emergency Updates

For critical security issues:
# 1. Build and push patched images immediately
docker build -t backend:security-patch .
docker tag backend:security-patch ${ECR_URL}:latest
docker push ${ECR_URL}:latest

# 2. Force immediate deployment
aws ecs update-service \
  --cluster anysource-production \
  --service backend-service \
  --force-new-deployment
2

Infrastructure Patches

AWS-managed services are automatically patched:
  • RDS Aurora: Automatic security patches during maintenance windows
  • ECS Fargate: AWS manages underlying infrastructure
  • ALB/VPC: AWS-managed security updates
Configure maintenance windows:
preferred_maintenance_window = "sun:05:00-sun:06:00"

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Best Practices

Before Updates

  • Review release notes and breaking changes
  • Backup database with manual snapshot
  • Test in staging environment first
  • Schedule during low-traffic periods
  • Have rollback plan ready

During Updates

  • Monitor health check endpoints
  • Watch ECS service status
  • Check application logs for errors
  • Verify target group health
  • Test critical functionality

After Updates

  • Verify all services are healthy
  • Test key user workflows
  • Monitor error rates and performance
  • Clean up old task definitions
  • Document any issues encountered

Emergency Procedures

  • Know how to quickly rollback
  • Have monitoring dashboards ready
  • Keep communication channels open
  • Document incident response steps
  • Practice rollback procedures

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Troubleshooting Updates

Common causes and solutions:
# Check task definition and logs
aws ecs describe-task-definition --task-definition anysource-backend-production
aws logs tail /aws/ecs/backend-logs-production

# Common issues:
# - Environment variable changes
# - Database migration failures
# - Container startup errors
# - Health check failures
ECS deployment issues:
# Check service events
aws ecs describe-services --cluster anysource-production --services backend-service

# Force stop problematic tasks
aws ecs stop-task --cluster anysource-production --task <task-arn>

# Restart deployment
aws ecs update-service --cluster anysource-production --service backend-service --force-new-deployment
Database connectivity problems:
# Check RDS status
aws rds describe-db-clusters --db-cluster-identifier anysource-production

# Check security groups
aws ec2 describe-security-groups --group-ids <db-security-group-id>

# Test connection from ECS task
aws ecs execute-command --cluster anysource-production --task <task-arn> --interactive --command "/bin/bash"
Remember: You have full control over when updates happen. The system will not update automatically - all updates require manual terraform commands.