knotes/UNIFIED_WORKFLOW.md

🚀 Unified Release Workflow

Your GitHub Actions workflow now handles both Docker deployment AND desktop app releases in a single, streamlined process!

📋 Workflow Overview

Trigger: Push to main branch → One unified workflow does everything

graph TD
    A[Push to main] --> B[Build and Test Java App]
    B --> C[Build and Push Docker Image]
    C --> D[Create GitHub Release]
    D --> E[Build Linux Desktop App]
    D --> F[Build Windows Desktop App]
    D --> G[Build macOS Desktop App]
    E --> H[🎉 Complete Release]
    F --> H
    G --> H

🔄 Step-by-Step Process

1. Backend Build & Test

• ✅ Java 25 + Gradle build
• ✅ Run all tests
• ✅ Validate application

2. Docker Deployment

• ✅ Multi-arch build (linux/amd64, linux/arm64)
• ✅ Push to Docker Hub: lhamacorp/knotes:latest
• ✅ Deploy to https://notes.lhamacorp.com

3. Desktop Release Creation

• ✅ Create GitHub Release with version tag
• ✅ Professional release notes (Docker + Desktop info)
• ✅ Prepare for desktop app uploads

4. Cross-Platform Desktop Builds (Parallel)

• 🐧 Linux: .AppImage file (~104MB)
• 🪟 Windows: .exe installer (~120MB)
• 🍎 macOS: .dmg installer (~115MB)

📦 What Users Get

🐳 Docker Users:

docker pull lhamacorp/knotes:latest
docker run -p 8080:8080 lhamacorp/knotes:latest

💻 Desktop Users:

• Visit: https://github.com/lhamacorp/knotes/releases/latest
• Download appropriate file for their OS
• Get automatic update notifications

⚡ Advantages of Unified Workflow

✅ Single Deploy Process

• One push to main = Everything deployed
• No separate workflows to manage
• Consistent versioning across Docker + Desktop

✅ Synchronized Releases

• Docker deployment happens first
• Desktop apps built with latest frontend
• Desktop apps connect to freshly deployed API

✅ Professional Release Notes

## 🚀 kNotes Release - Docker + Desktop Apps

### 🐳 Docker Deployment:
- Image: lhamacorp/knotes:latest
- Deployed to: https://notes.lhamacorp.com

### 📱 Desktop Apps:
- Windows: Download .exe installer
- macOS: Download .dmg installer
- Linux: Download .AppImage file

✅ Efficient Resource Usage

• Builds run in optimal order
• Parallel desktop builds (faster)
• Single GitHub release for everything

🎯 Your New Deployment Flow

# Make any change (frontend, backend, or both)
git add .
git commit -m "Update application"
git push origin main

# GitHub Actions automatically:
# 1. ✅ Tests and builds Java app
# 2. ✅ Deploys Docker to production
# 3. ✅ Creates GitHub release
# 4. ✅ Builds desktop apps for all platforms
# 5. ✅ Users get update notifications

# Result: Full-stack deployment in ~10-15 minutes! 🚀

🔧 Workflow Files

• ✅ Main: .github/workflows/buildAndRelease.yml (unified)
• ❌ Removed: desktop-release.yml (merged in)
• ❌ Removed: test-desktop-release.yml (no longer needed)

🎉 Benefits Summary

• 🔄 One workflow handles everything
• ⚡ Faster parallel desktop builds
• 📋 Better release management
• 🎯 Simpler deployment process
• 🔒 Consistent versioning
• 👥 Better UX for users (Docker + Desktop in same release)

Your release process is now fully automated and professional! 🚀