Automate GitHub Deployments to Linux using GitHub Actions

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To automatically deploy a project from GitHub to a Linux server, you can set up a CI/CD (Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment) pipeline. Here's a basic guide using GitHub Actions and some shell scripting:

Overview

  1. GitHub Actions: Set up a workflow that will trigger on certain GitHub events, such as pushes to the main branch.
  2. SSH Setup: Securely connect to your Linux server via SSH.
  3. Deployment Script: Deploy the code to your Linux server.

Prerequisites

  • A GitHub repository.
  • A Linux server with SSH access.
  • Basic knowledge of SSH, Linux, and GitHub Actions.

Steps to Set Up Automatic Deployment

1. Set Up SSH Keys

  1. Generate SSH Keys on your local machine:

    ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 -C "your_email@example.com"

    This will generate a public and a private key. By default, these are stored in ~/.ssh/id_rsa (private) and ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub (public).

  2. Add the Public Key to the Server: Append the contents of id_rsa.pub to the ~/.ssh/authorized_keys file on your server.

  3. Add the Private Key to GitHub:

    • Go to your GitHub repository.
    • Click on Settings > Secrets and variables > Actions > New repository secret
    • Name it DEPLOY_KEY and paste the content of your id_rsa file.

2. Create a GitHub Actions Workflow

Create a GitHub Actions workflow file in your repository. It should be located at .github/workflows/deploy.yml.

Here's a sample deploy.yml:

name: Deploy to Server

on:
  push:
    branches:
      - main  # Triggers the workflow on pushes to the main branch

jobs:
  deploy:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest

    steps:
    - name: Checkout code
      uses: actions/checkout@v2

    - name: Setup SSH
      uses: webfactory/ssh-agent@v0.5.4
      with:
        ssh-private-key: ${{ secrets.DEPLOY_KEY }}

    - name: Deploy to Server
      env:
        HOST: your.server.ip
        USER: your_username
        PROJECT_PATH: /path/to/project/on/server
      run: |
        ssh -o StrictHostKeyChecking=no $USER@$HOST "
          cd $PROJECT_PATH
          git pull origin main
          # Logic to restart your services or perform any additional deployment steps
        "

3. Adjust Permissions and Test

  1. Make sure that the user running the Action has the appropriate permissions to pull the repository and restart services on the server.

  2. Test the setup by pushing a change to the main branch or triggering the workflow manually.

Additional Considerations

  • Security: Always be cautious when handling SSH keys. Use the least privilege principle to limit the keys’ permissions.
  • Secrets Management: Use GitHub secrets to store sensitive data securely.
  • Continuous Monitoring: Consider adding monitoring or notification steps to alert you of successful or failed deployments.

This setup provides a basic framework for automatic deployments to a Linux server. Depending on your project's complexity, you might need more steps, such as testing, building, or containerizing your application.