diff --git a/docs/dev/how-to-deploy.md b/docs/dev/how-to-deploy.md
deleted file mode 100644
index 503e8ad4c33d0..0000000000000
--- a/docs/dev/how-to-deploy.md
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,22 +0,0 @@
-# How to deploy to Prod environment
-
-Note: prod deployment is very manual and not automated yet.
-
-- Login to the off1 server, as the "off" user
-- cd /home/off/openfoodfacts-server
-- Check that you are on the main branch
-- git pull
-- Copy changed files (don't copy everything, in particular not the lang directory that is being moved to the openfoodfacts-web repository)
-- e.g. cp cgi scripts lib po taxonomies templates /srv/off/
-- cd /srv/off
-- export NPM_CONFIG_PREFIX=~/.npm-global
-- npm install
-- npm run build
-- cd /srv/off/cgi
-- export PERL5LIB=.
-- ./build_lang.pl
-- as the root user:
-- systemctl stop apache2@off
-- systemctl start apache2@off
-- systemctl stop minion-off
-- systemctl start minion-off
diff --git a/docs/dev/how-to-release.md b/docs/dev/how-to-release.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..e071d6d7d988b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/dev/how-to-release.md
@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+# How to release
+
+## Staging environment
+
+This is automatically done by the CI of github,
+see `.github/workflows/container-build.yml`.
+
+The deployment uses docker compose with specific environments variables
+and the `docker/prod.yml` overlay.
+
+As soon as you merge a pull request in the `main` branch,
+the action is triggered. You can see it at
+https://github.com/openfoodfacts/openfoodfacts-server/actions/workflows/container-build.yml
+
+## Production environment
+
+Product Opener is deployed on a container in Proxmox.
+The container is a debian server, it must follow the `backend` container version.
+
+In the command lines, I use $SERVICE and $VERSION variables,
+corresponding to the service short name (off, opf, etc.) and the version tag.
+
+To deploy you need to execute the following steps:
+1. merge the Release Please pull request.
+   This will create a new release / version tag on github
+1. update the code:
+   ```bash
+   sudo -u off bash
+   cd /srv/$SERVICE
+   git fetch
+   git checkout $VERSION
+   ```
+1. verify every needed symlink is in place
+   ```bash
+   sudo -u off scripts/deploy/verify-deployment.sh $SERVICE
+   ```
+1. rebuild taxonomies and lang
+   ```bash
+   sudo -u off bash
+   cd /srv/$SERVICE
+   source env/setenv.sh $SERVICE
+   ./scripts/taxonomies/build_tags_taxonomy.pl
+   ./scripts/build_lang.pl
+   ```
+1. update the frontend assets you just downloaded
+   ```bash
+   sudo -u off /srv/$SERVICE/scripts/deploy/install-dist-files.sh $VERSION $SERVICE
+   ```
+1. restart services
+   ```bash
+   sudo systemctl daemon-reload
+   sudo systemctl restart nginx
+   sudo systemctl stop apache2 cloud_vision_ocr@$SERVICE.service minion@$SERVICE.service
+   sudo systemctl start apache2 cloud_vision_ocr@$SERVICE.service minion@$SERVICE.service
+   ```
diff --git a/env/setenv.sh b/env/setenv.sh
index 07d07b9eb1a8e..7afe4068d0cd8 100755
--- a/env/setenv.sh
+++ b/env/setenv.sh
@@ -28,11 +28,17 @@ MINION_QUEUE=
 # Load environment variables from env file
 source env/env.$1
 
-# Set a variable that we use in Makefile to add an extra env file 
+# Set a variable that we use in Makefile to add an extra env file
 # in addition to .env when we run docker compose
 EXTRA_ENV_FILE=env/env.$1
 LOAD_EXTRA_ENV_FILE=--env-file=env/env.$1
 
+# eventually add lib for prod environment
+if [[ -d /srv/$1/lib ]]
+then
+    PERL5LIB=/srv/$1/lib
+fi
+
 set +o allexport
 
 # add (env) to the prompt
diff --git a/scripts/deploy/install-dist-files.sh b/scripts/deploy/install-dist-files.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000000..fe41525235006
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/deploy/install-dist-files.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+
+# this script is a helper for deployment
+# it downloads the assets for a version and extracts them
+# It must be followed by install-dist-files.sh which will install files
+
+
+# fail on error
+set -e
+
+if [[ -z "$1" ]]
+then
+  echo "Usage: $0 <version> [<instance short name>]"
+  echo "ex: $0 v2.53.0 off"
+  echo "If <instance short name> is not provided, it will be the server name"
+  exit 2
+fi
+
+VERSION=$1
+
+if [[ -n $2 ]]
+then
+  SERVICE=$2
+else
+  SERVICE=$(hostname)
+fi
+
+if [[ $(whoami) != off ]]
+then
+  echo "This script must be run as the off user"
+  exit 3
+fi
+
+echo "Downloading dist files $VERSION for $SERVICE"
+# get archive and untar
+curl --fail --location https://github.com/openfoodfacts/openfoodfacts-server/releases/download/$VERSION/frontend-dist.tgz -o /tmp/frontend-dist.tgz
+rm -rf /srv/$SERVICE-dist/tmp/$VERSION || true
+mkdir -p /srv/$SERVICE-dist/tmp/$VERSION
+tar --directory=/srv/$SERVICE-dist/tmp/$VERSION -xzf /tmp/frontend-dist.tgz
+# remove old files
+rm -rf /srv/$SERVICE-dist/tmp/old || true
+mkdir /srv/$SERVICE-dist/tmp/old
+# swap current version and old version
+shopt -s extglob  # extended globbing
+mv /srv/$SERVICE-dist/!(tmp) /srv/$SERVICE-dist/tmp/old
+mv /srv/$SERVICE-dist/tmp/$VERSION/* /srv/$SERVICE-dist/
+rmdir /srv/$SERVICE-dist/tmp/$VERSION
\ No newline at end of file