I'm working as a QA Automation Engineer and I'm trying to get my head around CI/CD implementation with GitHub Actions. We have three repositories: one for the frontend (FE), one for the backend (BE), and another for our QA automation scripts. The goal is to create a CI/CD pipeline that triggers whenever there is a code push to either the FE or BE repo, and then runs the necessary scripts on our own server. Right now, both FE and BE deployments are done manually. I've read some articles suggesting that I should implement YAML files in both the FE and BE repos, but I don't have access to modify those. I'm quite confused about how to best tackle this situation, especially since I'm just starting to learn about CI/CD. So, if you could provide beginner-friendly guidance or suggest alternative approaches, that would be awesome!
2 Answers
Consider setting up GitHub Actions with self-hosted runners. This way, you can trigger builds and run tests directly on your server. It allows you to keep control over your resources while still leveraging the power of GitHub Actions.
It's crucial to start moving away from manual deployments. Even if your current setup requires manual input, establishing pipelines to manage deployments will help in the long run. Have you considered whitelisting GitHub Action's IPs to run tests directly from there, or are you set on running everything on your local server? If you're limited by budget or security, try to emulate your current deployment process—like using Docker containers if that's what you're familiar with.
We're using our server primarily due to cost and security concerns. Manual deployment is currently the only option for us, which is why we're exploring a unique solution.