DDEV Launches ddev-upsun Add-On for Seamless Upsun Integration

Background: From Platform.sh to Upsun

Upsun, formerly known as Platform.sh, rebranded in September 2025 to highlight its expanded focus on developer experience and AI-assisted infrastructure. It continues to deliver flexible, multicloud hosting and maintains the same compliance and performance standards that made Platform.sh a leading choice for developers. For those new to the ecosystem, Upsun offers a free trial to explore its cloud capabilities.

How the add-on works

The new ddev-upsun add-on reads a project’s .upsun/config.yaml or .platform.app.yaml file and configures DDEV to match the Upsun cloud environment. This includes aligning PHP versions, databases, and key service dependencies to replicate production architecture locally. Developers can install it using DDEV’s standard commands:

ddev config
ddev add-on get ddev/ddev-upsun
ddev start

• Uses the same PHP version and extensions defined upstream.
• Matches database types and versions, including MariaDB, MySQL, and PostgreSQL.
• Automatically detects and configures add-ons such as Redis, Memcache, and OpenSearch.

This automation minimizes setup time and ensures near-parity between local and production environments—particularly valuable for teams managing multiple Upsun-hosted projects.

Why it matters

While DDEV has long supported Upsun-based workflows, complex applications previously required developers to manually define PHP versions, database types, and caching layers. The ddev-upsun add-on now performs these steps automatically, streamlining onboarding and eliminating manual configuration errors. It supports both Upsun Flex and Fixed configurations, providing a unified solution across setups.

Built with modern add-on architecture

The release also builds on improvements introduced in DDEV v1.24.8, which added support for writing add-ons in PHP instead of Bash and Go templates. This evolution simplifies maintenance and enables more complex integrations. The ddev-upsun add-on now supersedes the older ddev-platformsh add-on, consolidating both Flex and Fixed Upsun configurations under one tool.

Future roadmap

Initially focused on PHP-based projects, the DDEV team plans to expand ddev-upsun’s capabilities to support additional frameworks and services. Future enhancements may include:

• Version-specific service handling, such as Redis and Solr integration through ddev/ddev-redis.
• Support for Elasticsearch and other search services.
• Extended automated testing across frameworks like Drupal, Laravel, and Symfony.

Community and collaboration

The add-on was developed under the guidance of Randy Fay and the DDEV contributors, with significant testing on Drupal-based projects. As Upsun continues to sponsor DDEV’s open-source work, this collaboration underscores the project’s commitment to developer productivity and open standards.

Conclusion

The ddev-upsun add-on strengthens the bridge between local and cloud environments, removing configuration friction and improving parity with Upsun deployments. With its modern PHP-based architecture, the tool represents a forward step for developers seeking efficient, reproducible workflows across environments.