Can I add a "Restart Service" button to the deployments page?

Question

Let's say I have a deployment environment configured in Bamboo called "qa" whose deploy button deploys the specific build to the qa environment, as you would assume it does. What I'm trying to do now is add another action option that would restart the application's service in that environment.

For example, if the application is PHP and runs on Apache, there would be a button to deploy the code to the environment, as well as a button to simply restart Apache on the environment. The purpose is to provide teams the ability to restart the app without needing to re-deploy.

I have a script that handles the target server list and the service restart command. All I need now is a button that can kick that script off. I thought about adding another environment deployment called "restart-qa" and having that deploy button only restart the qa environment, but that is confusing when it requests a release version to "deploy" since we're not deploying a version...only restarting the existing release on the environment.

Is there any way to do this?

Joe Levis1 · Answer

Thanks for the feedback Eddie.

I agree that the deployment should handle everything required for the app to work, including service restarts (and it does). This is an edgecase that was presented by a development team that has a few legacy apps that are not as anti-fragile as we would like. So, although our deployment automation works great with new products that fit that ideal mold, some older apps aren't so consistent and need a little more TLC.

If the ability to add other action options in the deployment project isn't available, I can go down the custom plugin route.

EddieW_h8oivr · Answer

The purpose is to provide teams the ability to restart the app without needing to re-deploy.

That doesn't sound like a deployment...

In general there is good practice that a "deployment" should be everything required to go from A to B, and be repeatable.  No reason that should not bounce the web servers too if need _sometimes_, do it _all the time_.  If there is a problem that requires multiple restarting find it address it. Deployments should be smooth and easy.

But Using Bamboo for ad-hoc operation support is probably outside its intended use a bit.

However the atlassian APIs are reasonably documented, and well written. So you could write a plugin to introduce such functionality.