Business and Enterprise

Last updated 19/02/2026

Overview

On the Business and Enterprise plans in Five, applications move through a structured three-environment deployment process designed to support controlled development, proper testing, and stable production releases.

The process begins in the development environment, where applications are actively built and refined. You can continuously deploy changes to Development to review functionality, adjust logic, and iterate on features. This environment is intended for ongoing work, changes, and experimentation.

When the application is ready for validation, it can move to the testing environment. The testing environment provides a controlled space for quality assurance. It ensures that new features, updates, and fixes perform as expected being moving your application to the production environment.

Once the application has past testing, it is deployed to the production environment. The production environment is the live environment accessed by your end-users and should only contain approved, stable versions of your application.

Importantly, environments operate independently. There is no requirement to take an environment offline in order to promote an application to the next stage. This allows for a smooth, controlled progression from development through to production without disruptions.

For initial deployments to the testing and production environments, both the application and its associated image are deployed together from the last run of your development environment. After the initial deployment, any subsequent updates require the Upgrade action to be triggered. Clicking the Upgrade button ensures that the latest version and image are applied correctly. Removing and re-deploying a testing or production environment does not perform an upgrade and will not perform an application upgrade and an image (version) upgrade.

This structured deployment model provides governance, stability, and clarity, making it well suited for organisations that require controlled release management and production reliability.

The first deployment to each environment may take up to five minutes to be available as the new DNS (Domain Name System) entry for the URL needs to propagate. In the event of a timeout, wait for one to two minutes and click the Run button as the location may not be found yet because the DNS has not propagated.

How Deployment Works

1. Deploy to Development

• When changes are made to your application, you must click the Deploy to Development button
• This updates the development environment with your latest changes
• From here on in, you can click the Run button to apply changes
• You can review and validate the application here before going live

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If changes are made to your application or instance record, you will need to remove the development deployment and re-deploy to development to apply the changes, all other changes will occur just by clicking the Run button for development.

2. Deploy to Testing

• Once you are satisfied with the changes in development, you need to make your application production ready
• On the first deployment, Five will apply all changes that have been made to the development environment
• For future upgrades to the testing environment, you must use the upgrade action

3. Deploy to Production

• On the first deployment, Five will apply everthing that is held in the testing environment
• For future upgrades to the production environment, you must use the upgrade action
• Upgrades must go through the testing environment before applying to the production environment

How to Deploy to Development

For the default instance of your application, you can deploy it from either Five's toolbar or via the Cluster Management page on the instance record. An instance of your application that is not set as the default, can only be deployed via the Cluster Management. It is recommended that while you are developing you application to have the instance record set as the default so you can deploy from any view in Five rather than needing to return to the Cluster Management.

Deploy via Five's Toolbar

The default instance can be deployed from any view in Five via Five's toolbar.

1. Ensure the instance of your application you are developing is set as the default.

Figure 1 - Default instance record

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The instance record that Five creates when you add an application is set as the default automatically.

2. Click the Deploy to Development button in Five's toolbar.

Figure 2 - Deploy to Development button

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Your application will open in a new browser tab on your machine.

3. Click the Run button from here on in to see your changes.

Figure 3 - Run button

Deploy via Cluster Management

1. Click the Manage button.

Figure 4 - Manage button

2. Click Setup in the menu followed by Instances in the sub-menu.

Figure 5 - Instances menu item

3. Select the instance record in the list and click the Cluster Management button.

Figure 6 - Cluster Management button

4. Click the Deploy to Development button.

Figure 7 - Deploy to Development button

How to Deploy to Testing

Ensure you have deployed/run the instance of your application to the development environmnent before deploying to the testing environment so all your changes are applied to the testing environment.

For your initial testing deployment, Five will automatically take what has been deployed in the development environment and deploy it to testing.

1. Click the Production switch for your application.

2. Click the Save button in the form app bar.

Figure 8 - Production ready

3. Click the Manage button in the form app bar.

Figure 9 - Manage button

4. Click Setup in the menu followed by Instances in the sub-menu.

Figure 10 - Instances menu item

5. Select your instance record in the list and click the Cluster Management button.

Figure 11 - Cluster Management button

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After turning your application record into production, you will need to remove the development deployment and re-deploy to the development environment before deploying to the testing environment for the changes to be applied, as this is required when making changes to your application or instance records.

6. Click the Run button in the Testing window.

Figure 12 - Run button

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The URL displayed on the Cluster Management page in the Testing window is the URL you provide to your testers.

How to Deploy to the Production Environment

Once you are happy with your testing deployment, you can deploy to the production environment. For your initial production deployment, Five will automatically take what has been deployed in the testing environment and deploy it to production.

1. Click the Run button in the Production window.

Figure 13 - Run button

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The URL displayed on the Cluster Management page in the Production window is the URL you provide to your end-users for your application.

note

You can have your own URL completely such as abc.com.au, however, this requires configuration and a cost may incur. Contact Five's support if you require this.

Upgrade

Stopping and starting your testing or production applications will not perform any upgrades. You need to perform the upgrade action if you need a new version of your application in the testing and production environments. You must first upgrade the testing environment and then the production environment if you want the changes to be applied through both environments. When upgrading to the testing or production environments, all application changes and image upgrades will be applied.

Upgrade to Testing

Ensure you have deployed/run all your changes in the development environment that you want applied to the testing environment.

1. Click the Upgrade button in the Testing window.

Figure 14 - Upgrade button

Upgrade to Production

You must upgrade your testing environment before upgrading your production environment.

1. Click the Upgrade button in the Production window.

Figure 15 - Upgrade button

Summary

Applications must move through three environments:

• Development
• Testing
• Production

Initial deployment to an environment will take everything from the previous environment without having to upgrade.

Upgrading testing:

• After changes are made in development:
• Click the Run button followed by the Upgarde button; or
• Click the Upgrade button (will perform the upgrade and run your application in one click)

Upgrading production:

• When you are happy with the application in your testing environment:
• Click the Run button followed by the Upgrade button; or
• Click the Upgrade button (will perform the upgrade and run your application in one click)

Important Notes:

• Deployment moves the build to the environment
• Upgrade applies the new application version and image
• Each environment must be upgraded separately
• Skipping the upgrade step means changes will not be applied after initial deployments
• Stopping and restarting an environment does not update the application or image