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Tugboat
Data-Driven Testing and Preview Environments for Developers

What is Tugboat?

Tugboat is a serverless platform designed to provide developers with automated, data-first testing and on-demand deployment previews. By integrating directly with Git-based workflows, it enables teams to create, test, and review environments for every pull request, eliminating manual setup and reducing the risk of configuration drift. Tugboat supports a wide range of frontend and backend frameworks on Linux and works seamlessly with leading Git providers such as GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket, as well as self-hosted repositories.

Offering visual regression testing, accessibility and SEO audits, and Google Lighthouse integration, Tugboat enhances DevOps practices and automates last-mile manual reviews. Its infrastructure-as-code approach, flexible storage and compute options, and compatibility with multiple cloud platforms and on-premise deployments make it suitable for development teams seeking efficient, scalable, and reliable deployment previews.

Features

  • Infrastructure as Code: Define, deploy, and manage infrastructure directly within Git workflows.
  • Ephemeral Preview Environments: Automatically generate on-demand preview environments for every pull request.
  • Visual Regression Testing: Detects visual changes in web applications before deployment.
  • Accessibility & SEO Audits: Automated reviews to ensure compliance and web performance.
  • Integration with CI/CD: Seamlessly supplements CI/CD pipelines for last-mile testing.
  • Multi-Framework Support: Compatible with any Linux-based frontend or backend framework using Docker.
  • Cloud & On-Premise Deployment: Supports major cloud providers and on-premise hosting.
  • Real Data Testing: Enables import and refresh of database snapshots for accurate previews.
  • Command Line Interface & API: Flexible interaction via CLI, API, or dashboard.
  • Centralized Logging & Email Capture: Streamlined debugging and environment monitoring.

Use Cases

  • Automating staging environment creation for web development.
  • Performing visual and functional regression testing prior to code merges.
  • Facilitating stakeholder reviews with shareable preview links.
  • Integrating accessibility and SEO checks within deployment workflows.
  • Supporting seamless DevOps automation for cloud or on-premise teams.
  • Streamlining database migrations and testing with up-to-date data snapshots.
  • Accelerating feedback loops between developers and QA teams.

FAQs

  • Does Tugboat offer integrations with GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket?
    Yes, Tugboat integrates with GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket, allowing automatic build and deletion of on-demand staging environments for pull and merge requests.
  • Can Tugboat work with my self-hosted Git repositories?
    Yes, you can link self-hosted Git repositories to Tugboat projects using a Git URL and manage environments without relying on external providers.
  • Is Tugboat compatible with popular cloud hosting providers?
    Yes, Tugboat is hosting-provider agnostic and can be used with AWS, Akamai, Pantheon, Google Cloud, Heroku, WP Cloud, Platform, Acquia, and on-premise infrastructure.
  • Can I use custom Docker images with Tugboat?
    Yes, Tugboat supports custom Docker images from public or private registries, provided the images do not use volumes.
  • Does Tugboat support multiple programming languages and frameworks?
    Yes, Tugboat supports any language or framework that runs on Linux and for which a Docker image exists, including common stacks like Ruby, Python, PHP, Go, Rust, and more.

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