VSTS Rest API environemnt ID incorrect

Question

I'm using the REST API for VSTS to kick off a release for a specific environment. Retrieving the environment and such works, however, when I make the REST call to actually start the deployment, I get the following error message:

[DBG]: PS C:\Users\mmulhe200>> 
executeRequest : {"$id":"1","innerException":null,"message":"Environment with ID '16' is not valid. Valid environments have IDs 
'1288,1289'. Specify a valid environment and try 
again.","typeName":"Microsoft.VisualStudio.Services.ReleaseManagement.Data.Exceptions.InvalidRequestException, 
Microsoft.VisualStudio.Services.ReleaseManagement2.Data","typeKey":"InvalidRequestException","errorCode":0,"eventId":3000}
At C:\Users\mmulhe200\Desktop\VSTS release task\test\Untitled1.ps1:58 char:12
+     return executeRequest $request;
+            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : NotSpecified: (:) [Write-Error], WriteErrorException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.WriteErrorException,executeRequest

What's interesting about that is the response from the REST operation to retrieve a release definition with its environments returns such:

...
"id": 16,
"name": "Environment 2",
"rank": 2,
...

In fact, in the entire response, I can't find the ID 1288 nor 1289 anywhere. Any thoughts on why VSTS is telling me my environment ID of 16 is wrong even though it's what's returned from their service?

Zaz Zaz · Accepted Answer · 2016-11-23T13:41:00

The release defintion environment id is not the same thing as the release environment id, could that be the problem?

Make sure you are getting the id from _apis/release/releases/{releaseid} and not _apis/release/definitions/{definitionid}

Also the documentation on https://www.visualstudio.com/en-us/docs/integrate/api/rm/releases#start-deployment-on-an-environment seems to leave out exactly what is required to trigger a deploy onto an environment. It says to PATCH {"status":"inprogress"} but the request actually needs to be PATCH {"status":2}

VSTS Rest API environemnt ID incorrect

2 Answers