Message flow application deployment

You do not deploy a message flow application directly to an execution group. Instead, you package all the relevant resources into a broker archive (bar), which you then deploy. When you add files to the broker archive, they are automatically compiled as part of the process.

The broker archive itself is a compressed file which is sent to the Configuration Manager, where its contents are extracted and distributed to execution groups. If an execution group has not been initialized on the broker (that is, if the broker has only just been created), the execution group is created as part of the deployment.

This diagram shows the flow of events when you deploy a message flow application:
This diagram illustrates the flow of events when you deploy a message flow application: creating a broker archive and adding files to it; deploying the bar file by sending it to the Configuration Manager from where it its contents are distributed to execution groups on brokers within the domain.
You can deploy a bar file in two ways:

Incremental bar file deployment

Incrementally deploying a bar file tells the Configuration Manager to extract the contents of the bar file and send it to an execution group.

When to use it
  • If you want to incrementally deploy message flows or other deployable objects to an execution group.
When not to use it
  • If you want to completely clear the contents of the execution group before the bar file is deployed. In this case, use a complete bar file deployment.

Complete bar file deployment

Completely deploying a bar file tells the Configuration Manager to extract the deployable content of the bar file and send it to an execution group, first removing any existing deployed contents of the execution group.

When to use it
  • If you want to deploy message flows or other deployable objects to an execution group.
When not to use it
  • If you want to merge the existing contents of the execution group with the contents of the bar file. In this case, use an incremental bar file deployment.
Related concepts
Deployment overview