> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.envzero.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Environment promotion strategies

> Plan how to promote infrastructure changes across environments in env zero using branch-based or folder-based strategies with automated or manual approvals.

env zero supports any branching or folder structure you currently use to manage environment promotion. This page covers the two most common patterns and how env zero handles each.

## Branch-based promotion

If your team uses separate branches for each environment stage (for example, `dev`, `staging`, `prod`), each branch maps to its own env zero environment. Merging from one branch to the next triggers the promotion.

Set each environment to use [continuous deployment](/guides/admin-guide/environments/continuous-deployment) targeting its branch. Add an [approval policy](/guides/policies-governance/approval-policies) to the production environment to require a manual sign-off before the apply runs.

## Folder-based promotion

If your team uses a single branch with separate directories for each environment (for example, `envs/dev/`, `envs/staging/`, `envs/prod/`), each directory maps to its own env zero template. Use the [file filter pattern](/guides/admin-guide/environments/continuous-deployment) in the continuous deployment settings to scope each environment to its folder.

## Automated promotion

[Workflow triggers](/guides/admin-guide/environments/workflow-triggers) let you chain environments so that a successful apply in one environment automatically triggers a plan or apply in the next. Use this to build a promotion pipeline that runs without manual intervention for lower-environment changes.

## Manual approval gates

For production or sensitive environments, [approval policies](/guides/policies-governance/approval-policies) pause the deployment after the plan step. Reviewers see the full plan output before approving or denying. Policies can be written in OPA to approve automatically based on cost thresholds, resource type, or tag compliance, and escalate to manual review only when thresholds are exceeded.

## Next steps

* [Continuous deployment](/guides/admin-guide/environments/continuous-deployment) - Configure deploy-on-push for your environments.
* [Workflow triggers](/guides/admin-guide/environments/workflow-triggers) - Chain environments for automated promotion.
* [Approval policies](/guides/policies-governance/approval-policies) - Require manual review before production applies.