# Operations & Deployment Overview

Operational readiness focuses on prerequisites, environment fit, and clear signals that ensure your test scenarios run reliably across different deployment targets.

## Core Principles

- **Prerequisites First**: Ensure all required files, binaries, and assets are in place before attempting to run scenarios
- **Environment Fit**: Choose the right deployment target (host, compose, k8s) based on your isolation, reproducibility, and resource needs
- **Clear Signals**: Verify runners report node readiness before starting workloads to avoid false negatives
- **Failure Triage**: Map failures to specific causes—missing prerequisites, platform issues, or unmet expectations

## Key Operational Concerns

**Prerequisites:**
- `versions.env` file at repository root (required by helper scripts)
- Node binaries (`nomos-node`, `nomos-executor`) available or built on demand
- Platform requirements met (Docker for compose, cluster access for k8s)
- Circuit assets for DA workloads

**Artifacts:**
- KZG parameters (circuit assets) for Data Availability scenarios
- Docker images for compose/k8s deployments
- Binary bundles for reproducible builds

**Environment Configuration:**
- `POL_PROOF_DEV_MODE=true` is **REQUIRED for all runners** to avoid expensive proof generation
- Logging configured via `NOMOS_LOG_*` variables
- Observability endpoints (Prometheus, Grafana) optional but useful

**Readiness & Health:**
- Runners verify node readiness before starting workloads
- Health checks prevent premature workload execution
- Consensus liveness expectations validate basic operation

## Operational Workflow

```mermaid
flowchart LR
    Setup[Prerequisites & Setup] --> Run[Run Scenarios]
    Run --> Monitor[Monitor & Observe]
    Monitor --> Debug{Success?}
    Debug -->|No| Triage[Failure Triage]
    Triage --> Setup
    Debug -->|Yes| Done[Complete]
```

1. **Setup**: Verify prerequisites, configure environment, prepare assets
2. **Run**: Execute scenarios using appropriate runner (host/compose/k8s)
3. **Monitor**: Collect logs, metrics, and observability signals
4. **Triage**: When failures occur, map to root causes and fix prerequisites

## Documentation Structure

This Operations & Deployment section covers:

- [Prerequisites & Setup](prerequisites.md) — Required files, binaries, and environment setup
- [Running Examples](running-examples.md) — How to run scenarios across different runners
- [CI Integration](ci-integration.md) — Automating tests in continuous integration pipelines
- [Environment Variables](environment-variables.md) — Complete reference of configuration variables
- [Logging & Observability](logging-observability.md) — Log collection, metrics, and debugging

**Philosophy:** Treat operational hygiene—assets present, prerequisites satisfied, observability reachable—as the first step to reliable scenario outcomes.