Best way to deploy a web app to production

My technique for deploying an ASP.NET webapp into production is as follows:

Client:

• Select 'Release' mode and then right-click to publish.
• Go manually to the publish folder and zip contents.
• Now transfer to server by FTP.

Server:

• Unzip folder contents.
• Stop IIS.
• Deploy new folder contents for web app.
• Start IIS.

I don't stop the databas开发者_如何学编程e or run any additional tools to promote to production. It's a small company, and this seems fine. What's wrong with this technique in your opinion?

You dont need to ZIP. Just publish via PUBLISH in the VS to your server. IIS processes will be killed and be restarted anyhow.

Check this out http://www.iis.net/download/webdeploy

Web Deployment Tool works with both IIS6 and IIS7 and enables automated copy deployment, file synchronization, and migrating of applications onto web servers.

The only thing wrong with your approach is the manual intervention needed. I strongly encourage you to read Continuous Delivery.

Scott Hanselman did a presentation about the web deployment stuff in VS at MIX in 2010:

http://channel9.msdn.com/Events/MIX/MIX10/FT14

Scott could probably do an entertaining presentation about drying paint, so it's worth a look if you have a chance.