Introduction to ADT channels and tracks
Introduction
In AccelByte Development Toolkit (ADT), channels and tracks provide a structured way to manage and organize your builds, enabling you to tailor the system to your workflow.
What are channels?
Channels in ADT are organizational groups designed to collect builds with a shared purpose. They allow you to logically categorize builds for easy access and management. For instance, you might create a channel such as:
- Latest Stable: A group of the most reliable builds across all supported platforms.
- Leading Edge: A group of the latest experimental or development builds.
Channels can be customized to fit your needs. While ADT provides common channel examples during onboarding, you have full control over how to structure them to align with your workflows.
What are tracks?
Within each channel, tracks offer a way to organize builds as a progression over time. Think of tracks as a timeline of builds, where the latest build sits at the "head" of the track while previous builds remain accessible as part of its history. Tracks are often used to represent specific configurations or platforms. Examples include:
- By Platform: Windows, Xbox, PlayStation, etc.
- By Configuration: Windows + Lighting, Windows + No Lighting, etc.
The tracks within channels enable granular organization, allowing you to represent builds in ways that match your team's requirements.
Using channels and tracks
The combination of channels and tracks in ADT provides unmatched flexibility, enabling you to tailor your build management to your team's exact needs. For example, you can organize:
- A "Latest Stable + Lighting" channel with separate tracks for each platform.
- A "Latest Stable" channel with tracks for "With Lighting" and "No Lighting."
There's no single "right" way to use channels and tracks—explore different setups to find what works best for your project and team.
While channels and tracks offer a convenient method for managing builds, you are not restricted to using them. You can alternatively manage and access builds directly on the Versions page, independent of any channel or track.
Next step
Learn how to manage and use channels and tracks in ADT. Refer to the following pages:
- Create and manage distribution channels in the ADT Hub or using ADT CLI
- Manage tracks using ADT CLI