You can publish a validated MDriven model to a selected site or slot so that users can run your application in a web browser.
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What deployment does
Deployment uploads your current model to a site that runs an MDrivenServer. The server receives the model and evolves the database so that its SQL structure matches the uploaded model. When the update is complete, users who open the site's URL use the updated application.
For example, if you add a new persistent class or attribute in your model, deploying the updated model causes MDrivenServer to update the database structure to match that change.
A deployed application is accessed through a browser. You can continue to change the model and deploy later versions as your system evolves.
Before you deploy
Complete these checks before uploading a model:
- Build and save the model in MDriven Designer. Organize related classes in packages as needed.
- Validate the model. Open Verify and make sure that the model has no validation errors. Validation also runs when you save the model.
- Run the application locally with the Prototyper to inspect what users will see and identify missing behavior or views.
- Make sure you have a site available to run the application. If you do not already have one, set up a site before selecting a deployment target.
The Prototyper runs a local mini web server and stores created information in a simple file. A deployed system instead runs on MDrivenServer and uses its database. Do not treat a successful local prototype as a replacement for validating the model before deployment.
Deploy a model
- Go to portal.mdriven.net.
- Log in, or create an account if you do not yet have one.
- Select the site and slot that will host the system. A site is the web location that runs the application; a slot is the selected location within that site for the deployed system.
- Upload your current model to the selected site and slot.
- Wait for MDrivenServer to receive the model and evolve the database to match it.
- Open the site's URL in a browser and verify that the updated application is available.
Deployment flow
| Stage | What you do | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Model | Define and update classes, associations, views, and user actions in MDriven Designer. | Your model describes the application to publish. |
| Validate | Run validation and resolve every error. | The model is executable and ready to run. |
| Choose target | In the portal, select the site and slot that will receive the model. | You identify where the application will run. |
| Upload | Upload the current model. | MDrivenServer receives the model. |
| Update | Let the server evolve the database to match the uploaded model. | The deployed application and database structure are updated. |
| Use | Open the site's URL in a browser. | Users access the updated system. |
Continue evolving the application
Deployment is part of an iterative workflow:
- Change the model in MDriven Designer.
- Validate it with Verify.
- Test the change with the Prototyper.
- Upload the current model again to the intended site and slot.
- Confirm the result at the site's URL.
For example, after adding an attribute to a class, validate the model, check the change locally in the Prototyper, and then upload that revised model. MDrivenServer evolves the database structure when it processes the uploaded model.
Other deployment approaches
This page describes deployment through the MDriven portal to a selected site and slot. MDriven can also be deployed in cloud, on-premises, and Docker-based environments. See Model-Driven Development Simplified for an overview, Deploy Turnkey on your own Azure with OneDrive for an Azure deployment path, and Two Ways To Install Docker Desktop on MacOS Intel for Docker Desktop installation guidance on macOS Intel.