GitHub - Bounteous-Inc/suds: An opinionated orchestrator for Drupal site development workflows, implemented as Drush commands.

Sync. Update. Deploy. Suite.

An opinionated orchestrator for Drupal development workflows, implemented as Drush commands. Inspired by the Acquia BLT project.

SUDS gives every developer on a project — and every CI pipeline — the same commands for the same tasks. Syncing a database, deploying a build artifact, applying updates after a pull: the answers are always drush suds:sync, drush suds:deploy, drush suds:update, regardless of which project you are working on.

How it works

SUDS is built around two workflows.

Local development sync — suds:sync pulls a database from a configured source environment, installs Composer dependencies, sanitizes PII from the local database, optionally syncs managed files, and applies pending updates (cache rebuild, database updates, configuration import) in a single command. New developers get a working local environment in one step; existing developers stay current with the same command.

Artifact deployment — suds:deploy assembles a production-ready artifact from the project source: it rsyncs the project into a clean directory, runs configured build steps (asset compilation, etc.), commits the result, and force-pushes to a deployment repository. Hosting platforms that deploy from a git repository receive a clean artifact that contains only what production needs — no build tooling, test files, or local configuration.

Both workflows are driven by suds.yml in the project root. One file, committed to the repository, defines the workflow for the entire team.

Requirements

PHP 8.3 or later
Drush 13
Drupal 10.4 or 11

Installation

Install SUDS via Composer:

composer require bounteous-inc/suds

SUDS belongs in require, not require-dev. Like Drush itself, it is an operational tool: suds:update runs on production servers, suds:deploy runs in CI pipelines, and both need to be present in the deployed vendor directory. Adding it to require-dev would exclude it from artifact builds and break server-side execution.

Drush discovers the commands automatically via the extra.drush.services entry in composer.json. No additional registration is needed.

Getting started

Adding SUDS to a new project:

composer require bounteous-inc/suds
drush suds:init    # creates suds.yml and prompts for a project name
drush suds:doctor  # verifies the environment is correctly configured

Edit the generated suds.yml to set your deployment repository URL and default sync source, then commit it. See Configuration for available keys.

Onboarding a new developer to an existing project:

git clone <project-repo>
cd <project>
composer install       # the only manual bootstrap step
drush suds:doctor      # verify the environment
drush suds:sync @dev

After the initial composer install, suds:sync runs it automatically on every subsequent sync so dependencies stay current as the project evolves.

Configuration

SUDS configuration lives in suds.yml in the project root. You only need to define values that differ from the defaults — drush suds:config:dump --defaults shows every available key with its built-in default value, and drush suds:config:dump shows the resolved configuration for the current project. Individual keys can be inspected directly: drush suds:config:dump sync.db.export_dir.

The merge chain

Configuration is assembled from four layers in order, each overriding the previous:

Layer	File	Committed	Purpose
Built-in defaults	(shipped with SUDS)	—	All keys and their default values
Project config	`suds.yml`	Yes	Shared team configuration
CI overrides	`suds.ci.yml`	Yes	Loaded only when the `$CI` environment variable is set
Local overrides	`suds.local.yml`	No	Per-developer overrides — add to `.gitignore`

Merge semantics

Associative (keyed) values merge recursively. A partial override in suds.yml preserves all other keys in that section — you do not need to repeat values you are not changing:

# suds.yml — only override what differs from the defaults
drupal:
  root: docroot   # overrides the default 'web'; drupal.profile is untouched

Lists (indexed arrays) replace entirely. To add paths to the artifact exclusion list without discarding the built-in defaults, use deploy.exclude_extra rather than deploy.exclude:

deploy:
  exclude_extra:
    - private/
    - secrets.txt

CI configuration

suds.ci.yml is intended for values that should only apply in CI — typically deploy identity and any environment-specific overrides. It is committed to the repository and excluded from the artifact by default:

# suds.ci.yml
deploy:
  git:
    name: 'My CI Pipeline'
    email: 'ci@example.com'

Hooks

Every orchestration command exposes pre and post hooks — lists of shell commands that run at defined points in the workflow. Hooks are configured in suds.yml and run in the project root (build steps in suds:deploy run in the artifact directory instead).

Execution context matters for suds:update hooks. Update hooks run wherever suds:update executes — on the server when invoked via a remote alias (see suds:update), or locally when invoked directly. Use update.hooks for operations that belong on the target environment: toggling maintenance mode, triggering a search index rebuild, sending a deployment notification from the server. Use deploy.hooks.post_deploy for operations that must run on the CI machine after the push: triggering downstream pipelines, posting to a chat webhook from a CI secret, or invalidating a CDN cache via an API key that only CI holds.

Command	Hooks
`suds:setup`	`setup.hooks.pre_setup`, `setup.hooks.post_setup`
`suds:sync`	`sync.hooks.pre_sync`, `sync.hooks.post_sync`
`suds:update`	`update.hooks.pre_update`, `update.hooks.post_update`
`suds:deploy`	`deploy.hooks.pre_deploy`, `deploy.hooks.post_deploy`

Example: configure local settings and seed content after a sync

sync:
  hooks:
    post_sync:
      - cp .env.example .env.local
      - drush config:set system.site name "Local Dev" --yes

Example: validate, build assets, and notify after a deploy

deploy:
  build_steps:
    - npm ci
    - npm run build
  hooks:
    pre_deploy:
      - composer validate:all
    post_deploy:
      - curl -X POST https://hooks.example.com/deploy-notification

Environment variables in deploy hooks

The following variables are set automatically before any suds:deploy hooks or build steps run. They are also available in deploy.repo.branch and deploy.commit_message:

Variable	Value
`$SUDS_BRANCH`	Current git branch name
`$SUDS_HASH`	Full HEAD commit SHA
`$SUDS_SHORT_HASH`	First 8 characters of HEAD SHA

deploy:
  commit_message: "Deploy $SUDS_BRANCH [$SUDS_SHORT_HASH]"
  repo:
    branch: "$SUDS_BRANCH-build"

Commands

All commands are prefixed with suds: and have su- short aliases.

`suds:config:dump`

Display the resolved project configuration (defaults merged with suds.yml overrides).

# Show resolved config for the current project
drush suds:config:dump

# Show the value of a single key (dot-notation)
drush suds:config:dump sync.db.export_dir

# Show built-in defaults only, ignoring suds.yml
drush suds:config:dump --defaults

Argument	Description
`key`	Dot-notation key to inspect (e.g. `sync.db.export_dir`). When omitted, the full config tree is shown.

Option	Default	Description
`--defaults`	disabled	Show built-in default values only, ignoring `suds.yml`

`suds:init`

Initialize a new SUDS-managed Drupal project by creating suds.yml. Also runs suds:scaffold:quality unless --skip-quality-scaffold is passed.

# Interactive — prompts for the project name and uses auto-detected webroot
drush suds:init

# Non-interactive — suitable for CI
drush suds:init --name="My Project" --drupal-root=web

# Skip quality tooling scaffolding
drush suds:init --skip-quality-scaffold

Option	Default	Description
`--name`	(prompt)	Project name; skips the interactive prompt when provided
`--drupal-root`	(auto-detect or prompt)	Drupal webroot directory relative to the project root; auto-detected from `web/`, `docroot/`, or `html/` when omitted
`--skip-quality-scaffold`	disabled	Skip scaffolding quality tool config files

`suds:scaffold:quality`

Scaffold code quality configuration files into the project root: grumphp.yml, phpcs.xml.dist, and phpstan.neon. Files are pre-configured for a Drupal site with custom modules and themes under the configured webroot. Existing files are left untouched unless --force is passed.

suds:init runs this command automatically. Use it directly to add quality tooling to an existing project, or to regenerate files after deleting them.

# Scaffold using drupal.root from suds.yml
drush suds:scaffold:quality

# Scaffold with an explicit webroot
drush suds:scaffold:quality --drupal-root=docroot

# Overwrite any existing quality tool config files
drush suds:scaffold:quality --force

After scaffolding, require the quality tooling dependencies:

composer require --dev phpro/grumphp squizlabs/php_codesniffer drupal/coder dealerdirect/phpcodesniffer-composer-installer phpstan/phpstan mglaman/phpstan-drupal phpstan/phpstan-deprecation-rules ergebnis/composer-normalize vincentlanglet/twig-cs-fixer

GrumPHP's composer plugin installs pre-commit and commit-msg git hooks automatically on composer install.

Option	Default	Description
`--drupal-root`	(read from `suds.yml`)	Drupal webroot directory; overrides `drupal.root` from `suds.yml`
`--force`	disabled	Overwrite files that already exist

The scaffolded configuration includes:

GrumPHP — runs composer validation, PHP_CodeSniffer, PHPStan, YAML linting, Twig CS, a debug-artifact blacklist, and Conventional Commits enforcement on every commit.
PHP_CodeSniffer — Drupal + DrupalPractice standards scoped to modules/custom and themes/custom.
PHPStan — level 6 with mglaman/phpstan-drupal and phpstan/phpstan-deprecation-rules.

`suds:scaffold:ci`

Scaffold a CI pipeline and suds.ci.yml into the project root. The pipeline installs Composer dependencies and runs GrumPHP quality checks. A commented deploy block shows how to wire up suds:deploy for automated artifact pushes. Existing files are left untouched unless --force is passed.

Supported providers:

Provider	Files written
`github`	`.github/workflows/ci.yml`, `suds.ci.yml`
`gitlab`	`.gitlab-ci.yml`, `suds.ci.yml`
`bitbucket`	`bitbucket-pipelines.yml`, `suds.ci.yml`

# Scaffold a GitHub Actions workflow
drush suds:scaffold:ci github

# Scaffold a GitLab CI configuration
drush suds:scaffold:ci gitlab

# Scaffold a Bitbucket Pipelines configuration
drush suds:scaffold:ci bitbucket

# Overwrite any existing CI files
drush suds:scaffold:ci github --force

The PHP version is detected automatically from composer.json (config.platform.php takes priority over require.php). Falls back to 8.3 when neither is set.

suds.ci.yml is loaded automatically by SUDS when the CI environment variable is set (standard in all three providers). Use it to override deploy git identity or other settings that differ between local and CI environments.

Option	Default	Description
`--force`	disabled	Overwrite files that already exist

Run suds:scaffold:quality first — the generated pipeline assumes grumphp.yml is present.

`suds:doctor`

Validate the local environment for use with SUDS. Checks required tools, configuration presence, and project structure. Exits non-zero if any required check fails.

drush suds:doctor

Status	Meaning
`[OK]`	Check passed
`[WARN]`	Non-critical issue — tool still functions
`[FAIL]`	Required check failed — exits non-zero

Checks performed:

Check	Failure level	Notes
`composer` available	FAIL	Required for `suds:sync`
`rsync` available	WARN	Required for `suds:files:sync`
`git` available	WARN	Required for `suds:deploy`
PHP >= 8.3	FAIL
`suds.yml` found	WARN	Run `drush suds:init` to create one
`project.name` set	WARN
`drupal.root` directory exists	FAIL
`drupal.root/core` exists	FAIL	Root dir found but not a Drupal installation
`deploy.repo.url` set	WARN	Only checked when `git` is available
`sync.default_source` set	WARN	`suds:sync` will require an explicit alias on every call
Config keys valid	WARN	Unknown key found in `suds.yml` — likely a typo; run `suds:config:dump --defaults` to see all valid keys
Config types valid	WARN	Config value has wrong type (e.g. string where bool expected); run `suds:config:dump --defaults` to see expected types
Sync alias defined	WARN	Configured sync source alias is not defined in Drush alias files
Project root is a git repo	WARN	Only checked when `deploy.repo.url` is set; `suds:deploy` requires a git repository
`grumphp.yml` found	WARN	Run `drush suds:scaffold:quality` to create it
`phpcs.xml.dist` found	WARN	Run `drush suds:scaffold:quality` to create it
`phpstan.neon` found	WARN	Run `drush suds:scaffold:quality` to create it
GrumPHP pre-commit hook installed	WARN	Only checked when `grumphp.yml` exists; run `composer install` to let GrumPHP auto-install hooks

`suds:setup`

Set up a Drupal site — install dependencies, configure settings, and run the installer.

# Use the default installation profile (minimal)
drush suds:setup

# Specify a profile
drush suds:setup --profile=standard

Option	Default	Description
`--profile`	`minimal`	Drupal installation profile to use
`--existing-config`	disabled	Install from existing configuration

Config key	Default	Description
`drupal.profile`	`minimal`	Installation profile (overridden by `--profile`)
`setup.recipes`	`[]`	Drupal recipes to apply after install, in order
`setup.hooks.pre_setup`	`[]`	Commands run before `drush site:install`
`setup.hooks.post_setup`	`[]`	Commands run after recipes are applied

`suds:sync`

Orchestrate a full environment sync in sequence:

Run sync.hooks.pre_sync commands
composer install — install/update PHP dependencies
suds:db:sync — pull the database from source
suds:db:sanitize — scrub PII from the local database (skippable)
suds:files:sync — pull managed files from source (opt-in)
suds:update — rebuild caches, run DB updates, import config
Run sync.hooks.post_sync commands

# Sync database from production (sanitize per config, no files by default)
drush suds:sync @prod

# Sync database and files from production
drush suds:sync @prod --force-files

# Sync without sanitizing the database
drush suds:sync @prod --skip-sanitize

# Import a local backup instead of pulling from a remote alias
drush suds:sync --file=/path/to/backup.sql.gz

# Import the most recent export from sync.db.export_dir
drush suds:sync --latest

The source argument is optional when a default source is configured in suds.yml, or when --file or --latest is used. Source resolution priority: CLI argument > sync.db.default_source / sync.files.default_source > sync.default_source.

Argument	Description
`source`	Site alias of the source environment (e.g. `@prod`). Not required when `--file` or `--latest` is used.

Option	Default	Description
`--skip-sanitize`	disabled	Skip database sanitization regardless of config
`--force-files`	disabled	Force files sync even when `sync.files.enabled: false`
`--skip-files`	disabled	Skip files sync even when `sync.files.enabled: true`
`--file`	(empty)	Path to a local `.sql` or `.sql.gz` backup to import instead of pulling from a remote
`--latest`	disabled	Import the most recent file from `sync.db.export_dir` instead of pulling from a remote

Config key	Default	Description
`sync.default_source`	`~`	Fallback source alias for all sync steps
`sync.db.default_source`	`~`	Source alias for the db step; overrides `sync.default_source`
`sync.files.default_source`	`~`	Source alias for the files step; overrides `sync.default_source`
`sync.hooks.pre_sync`	`[]`	Commands to run before any sync steps
`sync.hooks.post_sync`	`[]`	Commands to run after all sync steps complete

`suds:update`

Apply code updates to a Drupal environment: rebuild caches, run database updates, and import configuration.

# Run locally
drush suds:update

# Run on a remote environment via a Drush site alias (CI/CD post-deploy step)
drush @prod suds:update

Configuration import runs twice to handle modules that alter configuration during import (e.g. config_split). The second pass is a near-instant no-op when nothing remains.

Post-deploy usage. The standard CI/CD pattern is to run suds:deploy to push the artifact, then drush @prod suds:update to apply it. When Drush resolves @prod it SSHes to the production server and executes suds:update there — caches are rebuilt, database updates run, and configuration is imported on the actual server. The update hooks (pre_update, post_update) run on the server as well, making them the right place for operations that require server-side context (toggling maintenance mode, triggering a search index rebuild after deployment). See the Hooks section for guidance on what belongs in update hooks versus deploy.hooks.post_deploy.

# suds.yml — example update hooks for a CI/CD post-deploy workflow
update:
  hooks:
    pre_update:
      - drush state:set system.maintenance_mode 1 --input-format=integer --yes
    post_update:
      - drush state:set system.maintenance_mode 0 --input-format=integer --yes
      - drush search-api:index

Config key	Default	Description
`update.hooks.pre_update`	`[]`	Commands to run before caches, DB updates, and config import
`update.hooks.post_update`	`[]`	Commands to run after caches, DB updates, and config import complete

`suds:db:export`

Export the local database to a timestamped gzipped file in the configured export directory.

drush suds:db:export

Exports are written to sync.db.export_dir (default: db-exports/) as YYYY-MM-DD-HH-MM.sql.gz. Add this directory to .gitignore.

Project-specific dump flags that your environment requires — such as --single-transaction for InnoDB tables — are set once in suds.yml via sync.db.dump_extra_flags so every developer gets the same result without needing to remember the incantation.

Config key	Default	Description
`sync.db.export_dir`	`db-exports`	Directory (relative to project root) for exported dumps
`sync.db.dump_extra_flags`	(empty)	Extra flags appended verbatim to `drush sql:dump` (e.g. `--extra-dump=--single-transaction`)

`suds:db:sync`

Sync the database from a source environment to @self, import from a local file, or import the most recent export.

# Pull from a remote alias
drush suds:db:sync @prod

# Import a specific local backup (drops and reimports)
drush suds:db:sync --file=/path/to/backup.sql.gz

# Import the most recent file from sync.db.export_dir
drush suds:db:sync --latest

Option	Description
`--file`	Path to a local `.sql` or `.sql.gz` file to import. Source alias not required.
`--latest`	Import the most recent file from `sync.db.export_dir`. Source alias not required.

When no source alias is given and neither --file nor --latest is set, the command falls back to sync.db.default_source, then sync.default_source. If neither is configured, the command exits non-zero with an explanatory message.

`suds:db:sanitize`

Sanitize the local database: truncate cache/flood tables, then scrub PII via drush sql:sanitize.

drush suds:db:sanitize

Sanitization behaviour is controlled by sync.db.* keys in suds.yml:

Config key	Default	Description
`sync.db.truncate_tables`	Drupal cache/flood/session tables	Tables to truncate before sanitization. Set to `[]` to skip truncation entirely
`sync.db.sanitize_email`	`user+%uid@localhost`	Email pattern used by `drush sql:sanitize`. `%uid` is replaced with the user ID
`sync.db.sanitize_password`	`password`	Password value applied to all user accounts by `drush sql:sanitize`

`suds:files:sync`

Sync files from a source environment to @self for each path listed in sync.files.paths.

drush suds:files:sync @prod

Config key	Default	Description
`sync.files.paths`	`['sites/default/files']`	Directories to sync, relative to `drupal.root`
`sync.files.default_source`	`~`	Source alias for the files step; falls back to `sync.default_source` when not set

`suds:deploy`

Build a production artifact and push it to a deployment (build) repository.

Assembles a clean artifact directory via rsync, runs build steps, commits the result, and force-pushes to the configured deployment repository. Intended for CI/CD pipelines.

drush suds:deploy

# Print all commands that would run without executing them
drush suds:deploy --dry-run

# Deploy and create a tag on the artifact repository
drush suds:deploy --tag=v1.2.3

Option	Default	Description
`--dry-run`	disabled	Print commands that would run without executing them
`--tag`	(none)	Create and push a git tag on the artifact repository after the branch push

Execution order:

Run deploy.hooks.pre_deploy commands in the project root
Rsync project into a fresh artifact directory (honouring deploy.exclude)
Run deploy.build_steps commands in the artifact directory
Write build manifest to artifact root (when deploy.manifest: true)
Commit and force-push to deploy.repo.branch
Create and push --tag on the artifact repository (when --tag is provided)
Run deploy.hooks.post_deploy commands in the project root

Config key	Default	Description
`deploy.repo.url`	`~`	URL of the deployment repository. Required.
`deploy.repo.branch`	`$SUDS_BRANCH-build`	Branch to push the artifact to
`deploy.commit_message`	`Deploy $SUDS_BRANCH [$SUDS_SHORT_HASH]`	Artifact commit message
`deploy.git.name`	`SUDS Deploy`	Git `user.name` for the artifact commit
`deploy.git.email`	`suds@localhost`	Git `user.email` for the artifact commit
`deploy.build_steps`	`['composer install --no-dev --optimize-autoloader']`	Shell commands run in the artifact directory, in order
`deploy.manifest`	`true`	Write a `SUDS_BUILD.txt` manifest file to the artifact root before committing
`deploy.manifest_file`	`SUDS_BUILD.txt`	Filename for the build manifest (relative to artifact root)
`deploy.exclude`	(see defaults)	Paths excluded from the artifact. Overrides the entire default list.
`deploy.exclude_extra`	`[]`	Additional paths to exclude, appended to `deploy.exclude`.
`deploy.hooks.pre_deploy`	`[]`	Commands run on the CI machine before artifact assembly
`deploy.hooks.post_deploy`	`[]`	Commands run on the CI machine after the push completes

Build steps. The default build_steps runs composer install --no-dev --optimize-autoloader in the artifact directory, producing a production vendor tree without development dependencies. To add frontend asset compilation, append to build_steps — the default entry is just the first step in the list:

deploy:
  build_steps:
    - composer install --no-dev --optimize-autoloader
    - npm ci
    - npm run build

Build manifest. When deploy.manifest is enabled (the default), SUDS writes a small text file to the artifact root before committing. The manifest records the branch, full commit hash, short hash, and build timestamp — useful for auditing which source commit is running on any server:

branch: main
hash: a1b2c3d4e5f6...
short_hash: a1b2c3d4
built_at: 2026-03-19T12:00:00+00:00

Multi-site

SUDS is designed for single-site projects. There is no built-in concept of multiple sites within one suds.yml.

For multi-site Drupal installations, SUDS commands can be targeted at a specific site using Drush's standard mechanisms:

Site alias prefix — prefix any command with a site alias and SUDS will run all child commands in that site's context:

drush @myproject.site1 suds:sync @prod
drush @myproject.site2 suds:update

--uri flag — pass --uri directly; SUDS forwards it to every child Drush process:

drush --uri=http://site1.local suds:sync @prod

Hook-based orchestration — for workflows that need to touch multiple sites in sequence, post_sync and post_update hooks can issue site-specific Drush calls directly:

# suds.yml
sync:
  hooks:
    post_sync:
      - drush @myproject.site2 sql:sync @prod @self
      - drush @myproject.site2 suds:update

Note that suds.yml configuration keys such as sync.default_source and sync.files.paths are single-site values. When targeting multiple sites you will typically pass the source alias explicitly on each invocation rather than relying on configured defaults.

Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING.md for setup instructions, coding standards, commit message conventions, and how to submit a pull request.

Security

To report a vulnerability, see SECURITY.md.

License

GPL-2.0-or-later. See LICENSE for details.

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
.github/workflows		.github/workflows
assets		assets
config		config
doc/adr		doc/adr
recipes		recipes
scripts		scripts
src		src
stubs		stubs
tests		tests
.editorconfig		.editorconfig
.gitattributes		.gitattributes
.gitignore		.gitignore
CHANGELOG.md		CHANGELOG.md
CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md		CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md
CONTRIBUTING.md		CONTRIBUTING.md
LICENSE		LICENSE
README.md		README.md
SECURITY.md		SECURITY.md
cliff.toml		cliff.toml
composer.json		composer.json
drush.services.yml		drush.services.yml
grumphp.yml		grumphp.yml
phpcs.xml.dist		phpcs.xml.dist
phpstan.neon		phpstan.neon
phpunit.xml.dist		phpunit.xml.dist

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