Deployeur: The Indie Hacker's CI/CD Solution

Overview

Deployeur is a lightweight yet powerful deployment tool designed specifically for indie hackers who struggle to set up CI/CD on shared hosting environments. It simplifies the deployment process by automating updates, executing necessary build steps, and maintaining a streamlined workflow—all from a dedicated subdomain.

How It Works

Deployeur operates from a subdomain that points to the script's root folder, allowing seamless access to deployment functions via the web. With minimal setup, you can trigger deployments securely using an API request, ensuring your application stays up to date with minimal hassle.

Directory Structure

/deployeur/
    ├── script/
    │   ├── deploy.sh        # Main deployment script
    │   ├── deploy.yml       # YAML configuration file for deployment commands
    │   ├── log.txt          # Deployment log file
    ├── tmp/                 # Temporary storage during deployment
├── vendor/                  # Dependencies
.env.example                 # Example environment variables file
index.php                    # Web-triggered deployment script
setup.sh                     # Interactive setup script

Minimum Requirements

Deployeur is lightweight and can run on almost any shared hosting with the following minimum requirements:

• PHP 8.2 or later
• SSH access (optional but recommended)
• exec() function enabled in PHP
• Git installed on the server
• Composer & Node.js installed (if using frameworks that require it)

Setup & Configuration

1. Create a Subdomain and Download Deployeur

• Set up a subdomain (e.g., deploy.yourdomain.com) in your hosting control panel.
• Download the latest stable release inside the subdomain root:

cd /home/demo/awesome-deployer
tar -xzf <(curl -sL $(curl -s https://api.github.com/repos/ElvisAns/Deployeur/releases/latest | grep tarball_url | cut -d '"' -f 4)) --strip-components=1

2. Run the Interactive Setup Script

Deployeur now includes an interactive setup script that configures the environment variables for you. Simply run:

bash setup.sh

This script will prompt you to enter:

• DEPLOY_TOKEN
• PROJECT_FOLDER
• REPO_URL
• DEPLOYER_FOLDER
• TMP_FOLDER
• LOG_FILE
• DEPLOY_YML
• GIT_USERNAME
• GIT_EMAIL

If a .env file already exists, the script will warn you and ask for confirmation before backing it up as .env.backup.

3. Set Permissions

Ensure the script has execution permission:

chmod +x /home/demo/awesome-deployer/deployer/script/deploy.sh

The web server user must also have permission to execute the script and modify files in PROJECT_FOLDER.

Alternative Installation via SSH

If you do not have access to cPanel’s terminal, you can install Deployeur via SSH. Simply connect to your server using:

ssh [email protected]

Then follow the same installation steps as above.

Deployment Process

1. The script checks for .deployer.lock to prevent multiple deployments from running simultaneously.
2. If deployment.initiateddoes not exists, it:
   • Moves everything (except deployer, vendor, and node_modules) to /deployer/tmp/.
   • Deletes vendor and node_modules.
   • Clones the repository into PROJECT_FOLDER.
   • Restores necessary files from /deployer/tmp/.
   • Commits any restored changes.
3. Executes the commands specified in deploy.yml (e.g., git pull, npm install, composer install, npm run build).
4. Logs the deployment status.

GitHub Actions Integration

You can trigger deployment automatically when you push changes to your repository using GitHub Actions:

1. Set Repository Secret

Go to GitHub > Your Repository > Settings > Secrets and Variables > Actions and add a new repository secret:

• Name: DEPLOY_TOKEN
• Value: your_secret_token

2. Add GitHub Actions Workflow

Create a .github/workflows/deploy.yml file in your repository with the following content:

name: Deploy

on:
  push:
    branches:
      - main

jobs:
  deploy:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Trigger Deployeur
        run: |
          curl -H "x-deploy-token: ${{ secrets.DEPLOY_TOKEN }}" http://deploy.yourdomain.com/index.php

Deployment Log

All actions and outputs are logged in log.txt for debugging and tracking.

Security Considerations

• Ensure DEPLOY_TOKEN is kept secret to prevent unauthorized deployments.
• The deployment script should only be writable by trusted users.
• The deployment process runs under the web server user, so make sure permissions are correctly set.

Troubleshooting

• If deployment fails, check log.txt for errors.
• Ensure the web server user has permission to execute deploy.sh and modify PROJECT_FOLDER.
• Verify that .env is correctly configured and contains valid values.

License

This deployment system is licensed under MIT.

Author

Ansima