Posted by: Mike Isaacs
04 August 2025
Keeping your Umbraco platform secure and stable depends on how well you manage updates and deployments. Poorly planned upgrades or manual releases can lead to downtime and broken environments. This guide explains how to update integration and CI/CD workflows in Umbraco hosting and compares Azure hosting with Umbraco Cloud.
At a glance
- Why update integration and CI/CD matter for Umbraco hosting
- How to manage updates without downtime
- Azure Umbraco hosting vs Umbraco Cloud update workflows
- Real-world deployment scenarios and ROI
- How Growcreate delivers secure, tested Umbraco updates
Table of contents
- Why do updates and CI/CD workflows matter for Umbraco hosting?
- How to integrate Umbraco updates into hosting environments
- Azure Umbraco hosting vs Umbraco Cloud update workflows
- Real-world scenarios
- ROI and operational impact
- How Growcreate delivers safe Umbraco updates
Why do updates and CI/CD workflows matter for Umbraco hosting?
Updates keep Umbraco secure, compatible and performant. Without a controlled workflow, applying updates can:
- Break live environments if changes are untested
- Create downtime during deployments
- Cause version conflicts with custom plugins or integrations
CI/CD (Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment) workflows automate testing and deployment to minimise risk and speed up delivery.
How to integrate Umbraco updates into hosting environments
Best practices for update integration in Umbraco hosting include:
- Staging environments: Test core updates and packages before deploying them to production.
- Automated pipelines: Deploy updates through CI/CD with rollback options.
- Version alignment: Ensure that Umbraco and .NET versions remain in sync.
- Scheduled deployments: Apply updates during low-traffic windows to minimise user impact.
Azure Umbraco hosting vs Umbraco Cloud update workflows
Growcreate delivers managed update workflows in both Azure Umbraco hosting and Umbraco Cloud environments.
Feature comparison
| Attribute | Azure Umbraco Hosting | Umbraco Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| CI/CD pipelines | Fully customisable via Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions, etc. | Built-in Umbraco Deploy automates content and code release |
| Staging environments | Full staging, testing and rollback control | Integrated ContentFlow for staging and content sync |
| Update testing | Automated unit/integration tests in pipeline | Pre-deployment testing via Umbraco Cloud platform |
| Deployment speed | Customisable release cadence for enterprise workflows | Fast go-live with managed deployment tools |
Real-world scenarios
1. Zero-downtime Umbraco version upgrade
A corporate platform running Umbraco 10 was upgraded to v13. Azure CI/CD pipelines tested all core and package changes in staging before deploying them to production, resulting in zero user disruption.
2. Security patch deployment
A financial services site required critical patching within 24 hours. Automated Azure DevOps pipelines deployed updates to staging and production in under two hours, maintaining compliance and uptime.
3. Streamlined content and code sync on Umbraco Cloud
An agency utilised Umbraco Cloud's built-in Deploy and ContentFlow features to manage updates across environments, reducing manual deployment time by 60%.
ROI and operational impact
| Business Factor | Azure Umbraco Hosting | Umbraco Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| Risk reduction | Automated testing reduces chance of live failures | Managed deployment tools minimise update errors |
| Team workload | Requires DevOps or managed service | Fully managed workflows reduce internal overhead |
| Deployment speed | Tailored release cadence for enterprise | Built-in tools accelerate go-live for standard workflows |
| Compliance | Full audit trail of updates and deployments | Version history managed by Umbraco Cloud |
How Growcreate delivers safe Umbraco updates
- Managed CI/CD pipelines: Azure DevOps or GitHub Actions integrated with staging and rollback.
- Umbraco-aware testing: Automated validation for core, packages and custom integrations.
- Hybrid models: Combine Azure hosting flexibility with Umbraco Cloud's Deploy tools for efficient workflows.
- 24/7 SLA-backed support: Updates and deployments managed around business-critical schedules.
Book a quick call to see how updated integration and CI/CD workflows can keep your Umbraco hosting secure, stable and always ready for growth.
FAQs
Use staging environments and CI/CD pipelines to test before deployment. For Umbraco Cloud, use the built-in Deploy and ContentFlow features.
Yes. Umbraco Cloud includes Deploy, which simplifies code and content synchronisation.
Use Azure DevOps or GitHub Actions, which offer automated testing and rollback features, for enterprise platforms.
Yes. We deliver managed update pipelines with SLA-backed support in both Azure and Umbraco Cloud.