US Patent 11157253 Computer-automated software release and deployment architecture

A software deployment system includes a release module, a deployment control module, and a deployment module. The release module is configured to generate a first release object identifying a specific version of a first set of files in a version control system. The files encode deployment parameters, including a pointer to an executable form of a first application. The deployment control module is configured to promote the first release object to an environment by copying the first set of files to a location in the version control system corresponding to the environment. The deployment module is configured to, after the first release object is promoted to an environment, deploy the first release object by: configuring the environment according to the deployment parameters; copying the executable form of the first application from the pointer location to the environment; and initiating execution of the copied executable form in the environment.