What are the key steps to deploy custom code to a B2C Commerce environment?

B2C Commerce uses a Code Version model for deployments, allowing code to be staged and activated without downtime:

1. Package — zip the cartridge directory (e.g., app_custom.zip containing the app_custom/ folder at the root)
2. Upload — transfer the zip to the target environment via WebDAV at /on/demandware.servlet/webdav/Sites/Cartridges/[version_label]/
3. Extract — in Business Manager, navigate to Administration > Code Deployment, select the code version, and deploy or extract the uploaded zip
4. Update cartridge path — if new cartridges were added, update the cartridge path for each affected site in Business Manager
5. Activate code version — switch the active code version to make the new code live. The previous version remains available for instant rollback.

Most teams automate these steps using the sfcc-ci CLI and GitHub Actions or Jenkins pipelines, combining upload, extraction, and activation into a single CI/CD workflow.