Understanding Concepts

This guide explains the core concepts and data model of Mantis.

Concept Hierarchy

Actions

An Action is the smallest unit of execution in Mantis.

Action Types

Type	Description	Example
Command	Single shell command	systemctl restart nginx
Script	Multi-line script	A bash script to deploy files
Restart	Service restart	Restart an application service

Versioning

Actions support semantic versioning:

• Each action can have multiple versions (1.0.0, 1.1.0, 2.0.0)
• Sequences reference specific action versions
• This enables rollback and version pinning

Sequences

A Sequence is an ordered collection of actions.

• Actions execute in defined order
• Each step waits for the previous to complete
• Failure handling can be configured per step

Solutions

A Solution is a deployable package containing sequences.

Solutions provide:

• Bundling - Group related sequences together
• Variables - Define configurable parameters
• Versioning - Track deployable versions
• Promotion - Move through environments (dev → staging → prod)

Targets

A Target is a machine where deployments execute.

Each target:

• Runs the Tarsus client agent
• Has a unique identity (certificate-based)
• Can be tagged for grouping
• Belongs to one or more environments

Environments

An Environment is a logical grouping of targets.

Common environments:

• Development - For testing changes
• Staging - Pre-production validation
• Production - Live systems

Tenants

A Tenant provides multi-tenant isolation.

Each tenant has:

• Isolated resources (actions, solutions, targets)
• Separate user access controls
• Independent deployment history

Deployments

A Deployment is an execution of a solution/sequence/action on targets.

Deployment states:

Next Steps

• Actions Overview - Learn more about actions
• Sequences Overview - Learn about sequences
• Solutions Overview - Learn about solutions