How to automate a deploy with GitHub actions via SSH

Introduction

GitHub Actions is an API for cause and effect on GitHub: orchestrate any workflow, based on any event, while GitHub manages the execution, provides rich feedback, and secures every step along the way.

In this article, we will be exploring a hands-on approach to managing your CD processes using GitHub Actions via SSH.

The workflow:

1. Connect to VPS via SSH
2. Move to project directory
3. git pull the new changes
4. execute any necessary command

Prerequisites

• A GitHub account. If you don’t have one, you can sign up here
• A server with SSH access
• Basic knowledge of writing valid YAML
• Basic knowledge of GitHub and Git

Configuring workflows

we should create a yml file on .github/workflows/. For example .github/workflows/ci.yml and add this code to the file:

name: CI

on: [push]

jobs:
  deploy:
    if: github.ref == 'refs/heads/master'
    runs-on: [ubuntu-latest]
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v1
      - name: Push to server
        uses: appleboy/ssh-action@master
        with:
          host: ${{ secrets.SERVER_IP }}
          username: ${{ secrets.SERVER_USERNAME }}
          key: ${{ secrets.KEY }}
          passphrase: ${{ secrets.PASSPHRASE }} 
          script: cd ${{ secrets.PROJECT_PATH }} && git pull

After add this file go to Settings -> Secrets and add secrets SERVER_IP, SERVER_USERNAME, KEY, PASSPHRASE, PROJECT_PATH

note: you can use password insted of keys just you need to replace the key and passphrase line with password in the workflow file password: ${{ secrets.PASSWORD }} and add the password to secrets

I use the GitHub secrets to keep important information hidden

also you can add more commands to the script line as you need

the next time we push to the master branch, it will automatically be deployed to our server.