> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.optimism.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# op-deployer

> Canonical hub for op-deployer, the OP Stack chain deployment tool, covering what it does, who runs it, and where its guides, reference, releases, and source live.

op-deployer is the OP Stack's chain deployment tool: a CLI that
deploys the L1 smart contracts for new OP Stack chains, driven by a
declarative configuration file.

## Overview

op-deployer reads an *intent* file describing a chain's desired configuration
and makes the minimum set of smart contract calls required to make the
deployment match it. It is distributed as a standalone binary with no
additional dependencies, its configuration is optimized for deploying
Standard OP Chains, and it exposes lower-level primitives and Go libraries
for more complex setups. Its `upgrade` and `manage` commands are deprecated;
see the
[deprecation notice](/notices/op-deployer-upgrade-deprecation) for the
supported upgrade paths and alternatives.

It exists because deploying an OP Stack chain means deploying a large,
interdependent set of L1 contracts at specific supported versions.
op-deployer turns that into a declarative, repeatable process, and each of
its releases maps to the contract releases it supports.

**Who runs it:** chain operators and developers deploying chains. It runs
on demand, from a workstation, in CI pipelines, or inside local development
environments; it is not a long-running service.

Unlike most components, op-deployer already has a full documentation set on
this site, under [OP Deployer](/chain-operators/tools/op-deployer/overview)
in the Chain Operators tab; this hub routes into it.

## Get started

* [Deploy L1 contracts with op-deployer](/chain-operators/tutorials/create-l2-rollup/op-deployer-setup):
  install op-deployer, prepare your environment, and deploy a chain's L1
  contracts as the first step of standing up an OP Stack chain. To install
  the binary on its own, see
  [Installation](/chain-operators/tools/op-deployer/installation).

## How-tos

* [Custom deployments](/chain-operators/tools/op-deployer/usage/custom-deployments):
  manage deployments that depart from the standard configuration.
* [Release workflows](/chain-operators/tools/op-deployer/usage/release-workflows):
  backport fixes onto earlier op-deployer versions and add support for new
  contract versions.
* [Upgrade L1 contracts using op-deployer](/chain-operators/tutorials/l1-contract-upgrades/op-deployer-upgrade):
  version availability and migration paths for the deprecated `upgrade`
  command, which supports upgrades only up to `op-contracts/v5.0.0`. For
  later upgrades, see the
  [deprecation notice](/notices/op-deployer-upgrade-deprecation).

## Configuration & flags reference

* Command reference:
  [init](/chain-operators/tools/op-deployer/usage/init),
  [apply](/chain-operators/tools/op-deployer/usage/apply),
  [bootstrap](/chain-operators/tools/op-deployer/usage/bootstrap), and
  [verify](/chain-operators/tools/op-deployer/usage/verify) document each
  command's flags and the intent file settings.
* [Artifacts locators](/chain-operators/tools/op-deployer/reference/artifacts-locators):
  how op-deployer points at contract artifacts.
* [Known limitations](/chain-operators/tools/op-deployer/known-limitations):
  current limitations and their workarounds.

## Releases

* [op-deployer release history](/releases/op-deployer)
* [OP Deployer releases reference](/chain-operators/tools/op-deployer/reference/releases):
  which op-deployer version supports which contract release.

## Source & spec links

* [Source: `op-deployer/`](https://github.com/ethereum-optimism/optimism/tree/develop/op-deployer)
  in the Optimism monorepo; its
  [README](https://github.com/ethereum-optimism/optimism/blob/develop/op-deployer/README.md)
  declares this documentation set as its source of truth.
* [Architecture reference](/chain-operators/tools/op-deployer/reference/architecture/overview):
  op-deployer's internals, including its deployment pipeline and execution
  engine.
* op-deployer is deployment tooling and has no section of its own in the
  OP Stack specifications; the standard chain configuration it deploys is
  specified in
  [OP Stack Configurability](https://specs.optimism.io/protocol/configurability.html).