Database Modes

One of the trickiest parts of deployment is handling the database. Production databases contain real content, member accounts, orders, and other data that must not be overwritten. EE Push supports three database modes per environment to handle this safely.

Migrations Only (Recommended)

This is the default and recommended mode. EE Push deploys code only and leaves the database untouched. Any schema changes should be handled by your migration system.

• Safest option — no risk of data loss
• Code is deployed; database structure changes are managed separately
• Use ExpressionEngine's built-in update system or a custom migration tool
• Suitable for all environments (dev, staging, production)

Sync Selected Data

This mode syncs structural EE data — channels, fields, templates, and settings — without touching content data like entries, members, or orders.

Tables that are synced:

• Channels and channel fields
• Channel field groups
• Templates and template groups
• Categories and category groups
• Statuses
• Global variables

Tables that are never synced:

• Channel entries (your content)
• Members and sessions
• Comments
• File upload data
• Site settings and configuration

This mode is useful when your development workflow involves building channel structures and templates locally, then pushing those structural changes to staging or production.

Full DB Replace (Staging Only)

This mode completely replaces the target database with the source database. It is only available for environments marked as "Staging".

• Drops and recreates the entire database
• All data is overwritten — entries, members, everything
• A mandatory backup is created before the replace
• Cannot be used on production environments — this is enforced by the add-on

If you try to set an environment to "Full DB Replace" without marking it as a staging environment, the form will show an error.

Choosing the Right Mode

Backup Behaviour

Regardless of database mode, EE Push creates a database backup before every deployment (unless you explicitly skip it). For Full DB Replace mode, the backup is mandatory and cannot be skipped.