Environment branches

towbar.yml names environments; Repository → Environments chooses the branch that supplies each environment’s configuration. Branch names do not belong in towbar.yml. One repository can map production to main and staging to develop:

towbar.yml

version: 2
environments:
  production: {}
  staging:
    previews:
      enabled: true

Change a mapping

Choose Edit branch on the environment row, search the available branches, and save. Towbar reads towbar.yml and the entity files at the selected branch’s current commit. A valid sync updates that environment’s imported configuration. It does not start a deployment or copy secret values from another environment. If the branch is unreadable, missing the selected environment, or contains invalid configuration, the sync fails and Towbar retains the last valid inventory and saved secret values. Review the sync issue, correct the branch, and retry. An app or resource can override its server and other allowed fields per environment:

.towbar/apps/web.app.yml

id: web
name: Web
deployment:
  type: dockerfile
  dockerfile: Dockerfile
  context: .
container:
  port: 3000
environments:
  production:
    server: 192.0.2.10
  staging:
    server: 192.0.2.11

Objects merge recursively; arrays replace the common array. Identity and secret declarations stay at entity level. Preview PRs target the branch mapped to an environment with previews enabled. Continue with repository syncs and preview environments.

Last modified on September 26, 2026

Repositories

Servers

Applications

Resources

Secrets

Deployments and access

Environment branches

Change a mapping

​Change a mapping

Change a mapping