When you deploy an application, you move the application from your development environment to your deployment environment. After you deploy it, customers have full access to the application.

The deployment process that your organization uses might only require you to copy a Flex application's SWF file from your development server to your deployment server. In many organizations however, the deployment process is more complicated, and involves people from groups outside the development organization. For example, you might have an IT department that maintains your corporate website. The IT department might be responsible for staging, testing, and then deploying your application.

Your application architecture might also require you to deploy more than just a single SWF file. For example, your application might access Runtime Shared Libraries (RSLs) or other assets at run time. You must make sure to copy all required files to your deployment environment.

Deployment might also require you to perform operations other than just copying application files to a deployment server. Your application might access data services on your server, or on another server. You must ensure that your data services are accessible by a deployed Flex application that executes on a client's computer.