App is still running old docker image after successful deployment

The issue was that I was always using the docker tag “:latest”. I don’t know why deployments worked for a couple of weeks but now it isn’t working anymore. My workaround is to use different tags now and put the new images into the app spec file like this:

doctl registry login
docker push $IMAGE_NAME

doctl apps spec get $DO_APP_ID > $SPEC_FILE

# Replace image in app spec
echo "Setting tag $TAG"
sed -i '' "s/tag: [a-z0-9]*$/tag: $TAG/g" app_spec.yml
doctl apps spec validate $SPEC_FILE

doctl apps update $DO_APP_ID --spec $SPEC_FILE

its concerning that this hasnt been addressed in over a year.

what ive found works is to use the create-deployment command with the “force-rebuild” option. oddly named considering the image is already built but i digress.

here is the command

doctl app create-deployment <app ID> --force-rebuild

# shorthand
doctl a cd <app ID> --force-rebuild

the bummer here is if you change the spec (which creates a new deployment) there is no “force-rebuild” for the update command. so you have to do both

doctl app update <app ID> --spec <app-spec>.yaml
doctl app create-deployment <app ID> --force-rebuild

#shorthand
doctl a u <app ID> --spec <app-spec>.yaml
doctl a cd <app ID> --force-rebuild

Hello @rgnrlbrk, contrary to what the documentation would lead us to believe, automatic deployments after updating an image don’t actually work.