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sourceDocument: Zurich Build or modify applications
sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/zurich/application-development

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    - zurich

ft:locale :

    - en-US

ft:publication_title :

    - Zurich Build or modify applications

ft:clusterId :

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bundleId :

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workflow :

    - Development, Data, and Analytics


---

# Explore

# Exploring ReleaseOps {#ariaid-title1}

* Release version: Zurich
* 
* Updated June 9, 2026
* 
* ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 3 minutes to read

Summarize  
![AI sparkle icon](https://servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ai-sparkle-icon) Summarized using AI  
This content was generated using new OpenAI-powered functionality. Results are provided on an as is basis and are not guaranteed to be accurate or complete.  

## Summary of Exploring ReleaseOps

ServiceNow® ReleaseOps is designed to automate and streamline the deployment of changes, customizations, and custom applications on the ServiceNow AI Platform.
By automating these deployments, ReleaseOps improves predictability and reliability while reducing risks associated with releasing unwanted changes into production.
It enhances existing deployment pipelines by managing cross-instance trust and credential sharing internally, making pipeline setup and configuration simpler.
Deployments can be triggered directly from the ServiceNow Studio development environment and leverage ServiceNow Playbooks to minimize manual errors.
Show full answer Show less  
ReleaseOps manages deployments through **releases** , which specify the changes or apps to be moved to production or other target instances and the timing of deployment. Within each release, **deployment requests** group update sets or application installs that are to be deployed.

## ReleaseOps availability and user roles

* **Availability:** ReleaseOps is not supported in regulated environments or on-premise. Customers should verify their entitlements to confirm access.
* **User roles:**
  * **Pipeline Manager:** Creates and manages deployment pipelines and customizes playbooks.
  * **Release Manager:** Creates, schedules, and verifies releases, ensuring deployment requests meet release criteria.
  * **Developer:** Creates deployment requests to push application installs or update sets through the pipeline.
  * **Tester:** Reviews Automated Test Framework (ATF) failures and either approves deployment continuation or returns work to developers.

## ReleaseOps workflow

The typical workflow starts with the release manager creating a release linked to a pipeline. Developers promote update sets and create deployment requests targeting the release. The release moves through the pipeline stages:

* **Assessment stage:** Deploys changes to non-production instances for analysis, scans, and tests. Testers review any failures, approving or sending them back to developers.
* **Release stage:** Moves all approved changes to production on the scheduled date.

During the release process, the release manager activates the release and prepares it by deferring incomplete deployment requests. When ready, deployment requests move from test to production in the order they were last deployed, and the release is then marked complete.

## Key benefits

* **Requirement definition:** Pipelines allow pipeline managers to set criteria for applications or updates to be installed on target instances.
* **Controlled deployment:** Release managers can deploy changes in a scheduled and managed way via releases.
* **Deployment requests:** Developers can push work through deployment requests, grouping update sets or app installs for deployment.
* **Deployment analysis:** Deployment analyzer scans requests against the target instance's current state, helping developers decide appropriate actions.

## Next steps for customers

To get started or deepen your expertise with ReleaseOps, explore documentation on configuring ReleaseOps, managing deployments, promoting update sets, creating deployment requests for scheduled or on-demand releases, attaching update sets to deployment requests, and creating releases.  
ServiceNow®
ReleaseOps is a solution to problem of deploying changes, customizations, and custom apps on the ServiceNow AI Platform. By automating the deployment process, ReleaseOps helps to increase the predictability and reliability of deployments, while also reducing the risk of releasing unwanted changes to production.

## ReleaseOps overview {#exploring-release-ops__cf-exploring-parent-overview}

ReleaseOps automates and enhances the process of deploying changes, customizations, and custom applications on the ServiceNow AI Platform. ReleaseOps improves upon the existing pipelines deployment process by internally managing cross-instance trust and credential sharing, simplifying the setup and configuration of custom pipelines. ReleaseOps enables you to deploy changes using update sets and trigger deployment from directly within the ServiceNow Studio development environment. In addition, ReleaseOps leverages the automation capabilities of the ServiceNow
Playbooks, resulting in deployments that are less error-prone and manual.

ReleaseOps handles deployments through releases. Releases define which changes, customizations, or custom apps will be moved to the production (or target) instance and when the changes will be
deployed. The changes within a release are contained in deployment requests. Each deployment request contains one or more update sets or application installs. For more information about releases and deployment requests,
see [Releases in ReleaseOps](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/RUnAJBlTzFdQGgNz54TInw "Scheduled and on-demand releases are how changes are deployed to target instances with ReleaseOps. Releases can contain one or more deployment requests.") and [Deployment requests in ReleaseOps](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/yP4InMR0_VJMTak22j7DYQ "Deployment requests contain one or more update sets, and are contained in a release.").

## ReleaseOps availability {#exploring-release-ops__section_sb2_z5n_njc}

ReleaseOps is not supported in regulated environments or on-premise. Check your entitlements to determine whether you have access to ReleaseOps.

## ReleaseOps users {#exploring-release-ops__cf-exploring-parent-users}

{#exploring-release-ops__table_o3d_jq4_zfc__entry__2}

| Role | Description |
|-|-|
| Pipeline manager | A pipeline manager is responsible for creating and managing pipelines, including customizing playbooks. Pipelines define the flow of your deployments. |
| Release manager | A release manager is responsible for creating and scheduling releases, as well as verifying that the contents of a release are both relevant and correct. The release manager can remove deployment request items that don't meet the criteria for the release. |
| Developer | A developer is responsible for creating deployment requests to push application installations or update sets of work completed through the pipeline. |
| Tester | A tester is responsible for signing off on ATF test failures that occur to enable a deployment to continue. A tester can also send it back to development. |
[Table 1. Users]

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## ReleaseOps workflow {#exploring-release-ops__cf-exploring-parent-workflow}

The following workflow illustrates the sample pipeline workflow installed with ReleaseOps. Your pipeline manager can customize it as needed.
Figure 1. ReleaseOps sample pipeline workflow

In the traditional development to test to production workflow:

1. The release manager creates a release, which is associated with a pipeline.
2. Developers create and promote update sets, adding them to an existing deployment request or create a new deployment request, which is targeted to a release.
3. The release moves through the pipeline:
   * The assessment stage moves changes in from deployment requests through non-production instances and is designed to do deployment analysis and run scans and tests.
   * If there are assessment failures, deployment tasks are created that the Tester can sign off on or redirect to the developer to address.
   * The release stage moves all changes across its deployment requests that have passed assessment by the scheduled date to production. See sample release workflow, below.
   {#exploring-release-ops__ul_mtp_w1x_bgc}

{#exploring-release-ops__ol_rg1_3hl_1gc} Figure 2. ReleaseOps sample release workflow

In the traditional release workflow:

1. A release manager creates a release and sets the state to Active.
2. On the scheduled freeze date, the release begins preparing for deployment.
3. During the preparation process, deployment requests that aren't ready are set to Deferred and can be attached to a future release.
4. Once preparation is complete, the release state is set to Ready for deployment.
5. When the release date arrives, the update sets within the deployment requests move from test to production in the order that they were deployed in the last instance.
6. The release and deployment requests are set to Complete.
{#exploring-release-ops__ol_i1r_mbg_cgc}

## ReleaseOps benefits {#exploring-release-ops__cf-exploring-parent-benefits}

{#exploring-release-ops__table_r3d_jq4_zfc__entry__3}

| Benefit | Feature | Role |
|-|-|-|
| Define requirements for an application or update to get installed on a target instance. | [Pipelines in ReleaseOps](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/8gYoH1ONHWzxGet5TkvTMA "A pipeline is the flow of a deployment in ReleaseOps. A pipeline's flow is defined within playbooks, which enables you to customize as needed.") | Pipeline Manager |
| Deploy changes to a production or another target environment. | [Releases in ReleaseOps](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/RUnAJBlTzFdQGgNz54TInw "Scheduled and on-demand releases are how changes are deployed to target instances with ReleaseOps. Releases can contain one or more deployment requests.") | Release Manager |
| Push application installations or update sets of work completed through the pipeline with deployment requests. | [Deployment requests in ReleaseOps](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/yP4InMR0_VJMTak22j7DYQ "Deployment requests contain one or more update sets, and are contained in a release.") | Developer |
| Scan deployment requests for changes to the current state of the production instance or target instance with the deployment analyzer. Use those findings to determine your actions in the pipeline. | [Deployment analyzer in ReleaseOps](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/VZTqg_u0vG9wbuacrgFCjA "The deployment analyzer reviews the update set in your release against rules to verify compliance with customizable rules.") | Developer |
[Table 2. ReleaseOps benefits]

{#exploring-release-ops__table_r3d_jq4_zfc}

## What to explore next {#exploring-release-ops__cf-exploring-parent-links}

To learn more about configuring and using ReleaseOps, see:

* [Configuring ReleaseOps](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/WPPWG3W7JQNdFOdgurNIUg "Configure ReleaseOps to move changes from development to testing to production.")
* [Using ReleaseOps to manage deployments](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/esmdv2gpeGdoM8QKRYpQZQ "Use ReleaseOps to automate the process of managing your releases and deploying changes to a target instance.")
* [Promote an update set for deployment](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/WYGU~5ZCZZRkJwPfllxDyA "When you're ready to deploy your changes, promote your update set to begin the deployment process.")
* [Create a deployment request for a scheduled release](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/EqYfgdow15V5_1VOmLO7WA "Create a deployment request for a scheduled release to contain your update set and enable your changes to move through the pipeline for deployment.")
* [Create a deployment request for an on-demand release](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/RlmzQ1UdNbKgkzwS1AGjLg "Create a deployment request for changes that will deployed with an on-demand release.")
* [Attach an update set to an existing deployment request](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/9gUvjye76MLsUF1iZjOL8w "If you want to attach multiple update sets to a deployment request, you can attach an update set to an existing deployment request on the Deploy an update set form.")
* [Create a release](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/hhoUWAw4~uhuQVSXrgv4bw "Specify the details for your release, including the target instance that the changes will be deployed to and when the release should occur.")
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