Production Builds

Production builds in Deodar optimize your project for deployment with minified assets, caching, and performance enhancements. This guide covers configuration, CLI commands, and bundling for production-ready WordPress projects.

Overview

Deodar's production build system provides:

• Production Configuration: Enable caching and performance optimizations
• CLI Production Builds: Minified assets with optimized compilation
• Bundling: Create distributable ZIP archives
• Caching: Automatic transient caching for improved performance
• Asset Optimization: Minified CSS and JavaScript files

Production Configuration

Setting Production Mode

Enable production mode by setting production: true in your Deodar configuration:

<?php
/**
 * Main plugin file
 *
 * @package YourPlugin
 * @since 1.0.0
 */

// Deodar configuration
add_filter('deodar', function($config) {
    return [
        'path' => __DIR__,
        'url' => plugin_dir_url(__FILE__),
        'production' => true  // Enable production mode
    ];
});

Production Mode Benefits

When production mode is enabled, Deodar automatically:

• Enables Transient Caching: Caches block styles, ACF blocks, walkers, and customizations
• Improves Performance: Reduces file system scans and database queries
• Optimizes Loading: Faster initialization and asset discovery
• Reduces Memory Usage: Cached results prevent repeated processing

Note: The production configuration setting only enables transient caching. For minified assets and optimized builds, use the CLI production build command.

Caching Behavior

Production mode enables transient caching for:

• Block Styles: Cached block style discovery and loading
• ACF Blocks: Cached ACF block path scanning
• Walkers: Cached walker file discovery
• Customizations: Cached customization class loading

Cache duration: 24 hours (DAY_IN_SECONDS)

CLI Production Builds

Production Build Command

Create optimized production builds using the CLI:

# Production build command
deodar production

# Alternative alias
deodar p

Production Build Features

The production build command:

• Minifies Assets: CSS and JavaScript files are minified
• Removes Source Maps: No source maps in production builds
• Optimizes Compilation: Uses esbuild for fast compilation
• Bundles Dependencies: Combines and optimizes all dependencies

Build Process

1. Source Compilation: Compiles global source files
2. Block Compilation: Compiles all block assets
3. Minification: Minifies CSS and JavaScript
4. Optimization: Optimizes file sizes and performance

Bundling

Bundle Command

Create distributable ZIP archives of your project:

# Bundle command
deodar bundle

# Alternative alias
deodar b

Bundle Features

The bundle command creates:

• ZIP Archives: High compression (level 9) for optimal file sizes
• Smart Exclusion: Respects .bundleignore patterns
• Development File Exclusion: Excludes development files and dependencies
• Automatic Naming: Uses project name for archive naming

Bundle Configuration

Create a .bundleignore file to exclude files from bundling:

# .bundleignore
node_modules/
.git/
.gitignore
.bundleignore
*.log
*.tmp
coverage/
tests/
src/
source/
build/
dist/

Bundle Output

Bundles are created in the dist/ directory:

your-project/
├── dist/
│   └── your-project.zip
├── blocks/
├── includes/
└── your-main-file.php

Development vs Production

Development Mode

// Development configuration
add_filter('deodar', function($config) {
    return [
        'path' => __DIR__,
        'url' => plugin_dir_url(__FILE__),
        'production' => false  // Development mode
    ];
});

Features:

• No caching (real-time file scanning)
• Source maps enabled
• Unminified assets
• Development-friendly output

Production Mode

// Production configuration
add_filter('deodar', function($config) {
    return [
        'path' => __DIR__,
        'url' => plugin_dir_url(__FILE__),
        'production' => true   // Production mode
    ];
});

Features:

• Transient caching enabled
• No source maps
• Minified assets
• Optimized performance

Build Configuration

Deodar.json Configuration

Create a deodar.json file for build customization:

{
    "externals": {
        "jquery": "jQuery",
        "lodash": "_"
    },
    "skip": [
        "node_modules/**",
        "dist/**",
        "tests/**"
    ]
}

Configuration Options

Option	Type	Description
externals	object	External dependencies to exclude from bundling
skip	array	File patterns to skip during compilation

Best Practices

Production Deployment

1. Enable Production Mode: Set production: true in configuration
2. Run Production Build: Use deodar production before deployment
3. Create Bundle: Use deodar bundle for distribution
4. Test Performance: Verify caching and optimization

Performance Optimization

1. Use Transients: Enable production mode for caching
2. Minify Assets: Use CLI production builds for minified files
3. Bundle Efficiently: Configure .bundleignore properly
4. Monitor Cache: Clear transients when needed

Development Workflow

1. Development Mode: Use production: false during development
2. Watch Mode: Use deodar watch for real-time compilation
3. Production Testing: Test with production: true for caching before deployment
4. Bundle Creation: Create bundles for distribution

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Production Build Not Working

• Verify CLI is installed globally
• Check project directory structure
• Ensure deodar.json configuration is valid
• Check file permissions

Caching Issues

• Clear WordPress transients
• Verify production mode is enabled
• Check transient names and keys
• Monitor cache expiration

Bundle Creation Fails

• Check .bundleignore patterns
• Verify file permissions
• Ensure sufficient disk space
• Check for locked files

Performance Problems

• Enable production mode
• Use production builds
• Check transient caching
• Monitor memory usage

Cache Management

Clear Transients

// Clear all Deodar transients
global $wpdb;
$wpdb->query("DELETE FROM {$wpdb->options} WHERE option_name LIKE '_transient_deodar_%'");
$wpdb->query("DELETE FROM {$wpdb->options} WHERE option_name LIKE '_transient_timeout_deodar_%'");

Monitor Cache Performance

// Check if production mode is enabled
$deodar = new Deodar();
if ($deodar->production) {
    echo "Production mode enabled - caching active";
} else {
    echo "Development mode - no caching";
}

Examples

Complete Production Setup

<?php
/**
 * Production-ready Deodar configuration
 *
 * @package YourPlugin
 * @since 1.0.0
 */

// Enable production mode
add_filter('deodar', function($config) {
    return [
        'path' => __DIR__,
        'url' => plugin_dir_url(__FILE__),
        'production' => true
    ];
});

// Initialize Deodar
require_once __DIR__ . '/deodar/deodar.php';

Build Script Example

#!/bin/bash
# build.sh - Production build script

echo "🚀 Starting production build..."

# Run production build
deodar production

# Create bundle
deodar bundle

echo "✅ Production build complete!"
echo "📦 Bundle created in dist/ directory"

Package.json Scripts

{
    "scripts": {
        "build": "deodar production",
        "bundle": "deodar bundle",
        "dev": "deodar watch",
        "build:prod": "deodar production && deodar bundle"
    }
}

Next Steps

Now that you understand production builds:

• Master the CLI Tool
• Learn about Post Types
• Explore Taxonomies
• Discover Customizations

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Ready to deploy your project? Let's master the CLI tool for efficient development!