# Promote to production

> Promote to production - In-place draft-to-locked transition workflow.

This Markdown file sits beside the HTML page at the same path (with a `.md` suffix). It summarizes the topic and lists links for tools and LLM context.

Companion generated at `2026-06-22T16:50:38.254964+00:00` (UTC).

## Primary page

- [Promote to production](https://docs.datarobot.com/en/docs/workload-api/update-workloads/promote-production.html.md): Full documentation for this topic (Markdown sidecar).

## Sections on this page

- [How promote works](https://docs.datarobot.com/en/docs/workload-api/update-workloads/promote-production.html.md#how-promote-works): In-page section heading.
- [Design principle](https://docs.datarobot.com/en/docs/workload-api/update-workloads/promote-production.html.md#design-principle): In-page section heading.
- [Iterate after promote](https://docs.datarobot.com/en/docs/workload-api/update-workloads/promote-production.html.md#iterate-after-promote): In-page section heading.

## Related documentation

- [Workload API](https://docs.datarobot.com/en/docs/workload-api/index.html.md): Linked from this page.
- [Update existing Workloads](https://docs.datarobot.com/en/docs/workload-api/update-workloads/index.html.md): Linked from this page.
- [Replace and roll out](https://docs.datarobot.com/en/docs/workload-api/update-workloads/replace-artifact-rollouts.html.md): Linked from this page.

## Documentation content

Promote transitions a draft Workload to production in place. The Workload keeps its identity, endpoint, and configuration; only the lifecycle policy changes—from ephemeral (an 8-hour TTL that auto-terminates the Workload) to persistent (indefinite). Statistics are wiped so production starts from a clean baseline.

## How promote works

`POST /workloads/{workload_id}/promote`:

1. Locks the draft artifact (it becomes immutable).
2. Assigns a version number to the artifact.
3. Resets Workload statistics.
4. Records the event in replacement history.
5. Removes the 8-hour draft TTL.

Issue the promote request against the draft Workload to lock its artifact and clear the TTL.

```
curl -X POST "${DATAROBOT_ENDPOINT}/workloads/${WORKLOAD_ID}/promote" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ${DATAROBOT_API_TOKEN}"
```

`promote` does not set `importance`. Adjust it before or after via `PATCH /workloads/{workload_id}`:

```
curl -X PATCH "${DATAROBOT_ENDPOINT}/workloads/${WORKLOAD_ID}" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ${DATAROBOT_API_TOKEN}" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"importance": "high"}'
```

## Design principle

Promote preserves identity. Only lifecycle policy changes.

| Preserved | Details |
| --- | --- |
| Workload ID | Same identifier before and after promote. |
| Invoke endpoint | Same URL for client traffic. |
| Sharing settings | Same sharedRoles and collaborators. |
| Configuration | Same Workload and runtime configuration aside from lifecycle semantics. |

| Property | Before (draft) | After (promoted) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Artifact status | draft (mutable). | locked (immutable, versioned). |
| Workload lifetime | 8-hour TTL. | Indefinite lifetime. |
| Statistics | Development stats. | Wiped to a clean baseline. |
| Workload ID | Same. | Same. |
| Invoke endpoint | Same. | Same. |
| Monitoring | Full suite. | Full suite (unchanged). |
| importance | Same value (set independently). | Same value (set independently). |

## Iterate after promote

Once the artifact is locked, the spec is immutable. To ship a new version, choose one of the following paths:

| Path | When to use it |
| --- | --- |
| Replace with a new locked artifact | Ship a new immutable image or spec without changing the Workload identity or endpoint. See Replace and roll out. |
| Fork into a new draft artifact | Continue iteration after lock when you need a fresh draft lineage. |