"From 30-Minute Manual Deployments to 5-Minute Automation: My CI/CD Journey"

my-app/ ├── .github/ │ └── workflows/ │ └── deploy.yml ├── public/ ├── src/ ├── package.json ├── next.config.js ├── README.md └── ...

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Step 2: Creating the GitHub Actions Workflow

Here's the workflow file I created:

yaml
name: Deploy to EC2

on:
  push:
    branches: [ main ]

jobs:
  deploy:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v2

      - name: Deploy to Server
        uses: appleboy/ssh-action@v1.0.3
        with:
          host: ${{ secrets.HOST }}
          username: ${{ secrets.USERNAME }}
          key: ${{ secrets.PRIVATE_SSH_KEY }}
          script: |
            echo "🎉 Starting Birthday App deployment..."

            # Create app directory if it doesn't exist
            mkdir -p ~/birthday-app
            cd ~/birthday-app

            # Clone or update the repository
            if [ -d ".git" ]; then
              echo "📦 Updating existing repository..."
              git pull origin main
            else
              echo "📦 Cloning repository..."
              git clone https://github.com/Kuldeep2602/CI_CD.git .
            fi

            # Navigate to the app directory
            cd my-app

            # Install dependencies
            echo "📋 Installing dependencies..."
            npm install

            # Build the application
            echo "🔨 Building Next.js application..."
            npm run build

            # Install PM2 if not already installed
            if ! command -v pm2 &> /dev/null; then
              echo "📦 Installing PM2..."
              npm install -g pm2
            fi

            # Stop existing app if running
            pm2 stop birthday-app 2>/dev/null || true

            # Start the application with PM2
            echo "🚀 Starting Birthday App with PM2..."
            pm2 start npm --name "birthday-app" -- start
            pm2 save

            # Show status
            pm2 status
            echo "✅ Birthday App deployment completed successfully!"
Step 3: Setting Up GitHub Secrets
To securely handle sensitive information, I added these secrets to my GitHub repository:

Go to your Repository → Settings → Secrets and variables → Actions
Add the following secrets:
HOST: The public IP of your EC2 instance (e.g., 13.60.232.88)
USERNAME: The SSH username (e.g., ubuntu)
PRIVATE_SSH_KEY: Your private SSH key (the content of your .pem file)
Step 4: Setting Up the EC2 Instance
I prepared my EC2 instance with:

bash
# Update system packages
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

# Install Node.js and npm
curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_18.x | sudo -E bash -
sudo apt install -y nodejs

# Install Git
sudo apt install -y git

# Install PM2 globally
sudo npm install -g pm2

# Set up SSH authorized_keys for GitHub Actions
mkdir -p ~/.ssh
chmod 700 ~/.ssh
# Add your public key to ~/.ssh/authorized_keys
nano ~/.ssh/authorized_keys
chmod 600 ~/.ssh/authorized_keys
Step 5: Using Ngrok for Public Access
To make my application publicly accessible without a domain:

bash
# Install Ngrok
wget https://bin.equinox.io/c/bNyj1mQVY4c/ngrok-v3-stable-linux-amd64.tgz
tar xvzf ngrok-v3-stable-linux-amd64.tgz
sudo mv ngrok /usr/local/bin/

# Configure Ngrok
ngrok config add-authtoken YOUR_AUTH_TOKEN

# Start Ngrok to expose your Next.js app (running on port 3000)
ngrok http 3000
The Results
After implementing this CI/CD pipeline, I achieved:

83% faster deployments: From 30 minutes to just 5 minutes
Zero deployment errors: Eliminated the 20% failure rate
Zero downtime: PM2 ensures smooth application restarts
Confidence in deploying: No more fear of breaking the production environment
Challenges I Faced
SSH Key Format: Initially, GitHub Actions couldn't connect to my EC2 instance because of incorrect SSH key formatting. I had to ensure the key was properly formatted with proper line breaks.

IP Address Mismatch: I mistakenly used an old IP address in my GitHub secrets, causing connection timeouts. Always double-check your host IP when configuring secrets!

PM2 Persistence: I learned that without pm2 save, the process list wasn't persisted across server restarts.

Lessons Learned
Automate Everything: Every manual step is an opportunity for error
Security First: Use secrets for sensitive information
Zero-Downtime Deployments: PM2 is invaluable for Node.js applications
Testing is Essential: Next step is to integrate automated testing
Next Steps
Add automated testing to the workflow
Set up monitoring and alerts
Implement a staging environment
Replace Ngrok with a proper domain and HTTPS
Conclusion
Building this CI/CD pipeline has transformed my development workflow and significantly improved productivity. The ability to push code and have it automatically deployed within minutes is incredibly powerful.

Have you implemented CI/CD for your projects? What tools and approaches did you use? Let me know in the comments!

You can check out the live application here: https://86d2-13-60-232-88.ngrok-free.app/

GitHub Repo: https://github.com/Kuldeep2602/CI_CD

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