> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.gradial.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Publishing & Releases

> How ACI separates content promotion, release staging, activation, and rollback.

ACI separates choosing content for publication from changing the release visitors receive. This gives teams a review point before each transition and keeps the active site on one consistent release.

## The publishing sequence

```mermaid theme={null}
flowchart LR
    A["main<br/>approved content"] -->|"promote paths"| B["live<br/>publication set"]
    B -->|"publish release"| C["Staged release"]
    C -->|"activate"| D["Active release"]
    D -->|"release rollback"| E["Earlier release"]

    style A fill:#8b5cf6,color:#fff
    style B fill:#a78bfa,color:#fff
    style C fill:#f59e0b,color:#000
    style D fill:#22c55e,color:#fff
```

| Operation | What it changes | What visitors receive |
| - | - | - |
| Land | Applies approved branch changes to `main` | No change |
| Promote | Moves selected paths from `main` to `live` | No change until a release is activated |
| Publish a release | Compiles `live` with the selected code build and stages the result | The current release |
| Activate | Makes the staged release current | The new release |
| Roll back a release | Makes an earlier staged release current | The earlier release |

## 1. Review and promote content

Before publishing a release, review the drift between `main` and `live`. This shows which approved paths are not yet selected for publication.

Promotion is path-scoped. Review the promotion dry run before confirming it, especially when the change includes shared fragments or several paths that must move together. Promotion updates the `live` content state; it does not change traffic.

## 2. Stage a complete release

Publishing a release compiles the current `live` content with its compatible code build and prepares immutable delivery artifacts alongside the active release.

During staging, ACI:

* Validates content, routes, references, and frontend contracts
* Produces the base and configured variant artifacts for each route
* Emits complete HTML for static delivery
* Emits validated page results for ACI's supported Next.js server-rendered mode
* Prepares the release for the configured hosting integration

A failed compile does not replace the active release. Correct the reported content or contract issue, then stage again.

## 3. Activate deliberately

Activation changes the release used for new site requests as one operation. A visitor receives artifacts from the activated release rather than a partially staged combination.

Release artifacts are versioned by release and variant. Request-time personalization selects an exact artifact from the active release, with the base artifact as the fallback.

## Choose the right rollback

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Whole-release rollback" icon="rotate-left">
    Use release rollback when the active site as a whole should return to an earlier staged release. No content history is rewritten.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Path-level correction" icon="pen">
    Use content history and promotion when one page or fragment should be restored. Promote the intended version to `live`, then stage and activate a new release.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

A release rollback restores the complete earlier release, including the code and content that were compiled together. A later correction can be staged and activated through the normal workflow.

## Hosting support

ACI release delivery integrates with CloudFront and Vercel. Local delivery supports development and verification before a hosted release.

Hosting configuration controls domains and platform-specific delivery settings, while ACI keeps promotion, compilation, activation, and rollback consistent across supported integrations.

See [Hosting](/aci/platform/hosting) for setup considerations.

***

*Next: [Preview →](/aci/architecture/preview)*


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