Getting started
Prepare one repository and one Ubuntu server.
1. Prepare secrets
Create an AWS Secrets Manager value for SSH login as JSON with an unencrypted privateKey. Passphrase-protected keys are intentionally deferred in version 1. Create separate flat JSON objects for build and deployment environment variables when needed.
2. Add the manifest
Commit .towbar/deployment.yml to the branch you will connect. Every app needs a stable, unique id and must reference a server declared in the same file.
3. Connect and verify
Install the repository-scoped GitHub App, add the Source, and sync. Run Check server. On first contact Towbar stops and displays discovered SSH fingerprints; compare one against the host console before trusting it.
4. Deploy
Deploy is always manual. Towbar synchronizes the current branch, freezes its commit and manifest digest, then queues the deployment in Temporal.