1. Introduction

• In this article, I will share the process of setting up CI/CD (Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment) for my personal blog. Automating the testing and deployment process helps me save time, minimize manual errors, and maintain the quality of the blog consistently.

• If you’re managing a small blog or website, this could be an easily applicable CI/CD solution.

1.1 Benefits of Automated CI/CD Deployment

• Time-saving: Updates and deployments are handled automatically.

• Error reduction: Each update is tested before being deployed.

• Scalability: Adding features or making changes is as simple as updating the source code.

1.2 Tools Used

• GitLab CI/CD: Manages and automates the source code pipeline.

• VPS and Nginx: A server (I use Ubuntu) to host the blog and configure Nginx as the web server.

• Docker (optional): Packages the application into containers for easier deployment and management.

2. CI/CD Setup Process

Configuring the Pipeline on GitLab CI

I created a .gitlab-ci.yml file in my repository to set up the CI/CD pipeline. This file includes the following:

Build stage: Packages the project into a Docker container and pushes it to Docker Hub

• Package the project into a Docker image.

• Push the image to Docker Hub.

  build:
      stage: build
      image: docker:25.0.3
      services:
        - docker:25.0.3-dind
    
      before_script:
        - echo "$CI_REGISTRY_PASS" | docker login -u "$CI_REGISTRY_USER" --password-stdin
        - echo "ENV_VARABLE=$ENV_VARABLE" >> .env
    
      script:
        - echo "Start building source code..."
        - docker build -t $REGISTRY/$IMAGE_NAME:$IMAGE_TAG . # build docker image
        - docker push $REGISTRY/$IMAGE_NAME:$IMAGE_TAG # push docker image lên docker hub
        - echo "Complete build source code..."

Deploy Stage: Pulling the Container from Docker Hub and Running it with Docker Compose

• Access the server using GitLab Runner.

• Stop the currently running Docker container.

• Pull the new Docker image from Docker Hub.

• Start the new Docker container.

    deploy:
      stage: deploy
      needs: [build] 
      before_script:
        - echo "$CI_REGISTRY_PASS" | docker login -u "$CI_REGISTRY_USER" --password-stdin
      script:
        - echo "Start deploy source code..." 
        - cd <project path>
        - docker compose stop interface $ALIAS dừng container đang chạy
        - docker compose rm -f $ALIAS # xoá image liên quan
        - docker compose pull $ALIAS # pull image từ docker hub
        - docker compose up -d $ALIAS # chạy container 
        - echo "End deploy source code..."
      only:
        - main
      tags:
        - <project runner tag name>

Conclusion

• With this CI/CD setup, I can quickly update the blog with a single push to the repository.

• Each change is automatically tested and deployed, allowing me to maintain a stable blog with minimal effort.

• Setting up CI/CD for a personal blog is a small step that brings long-term benefits. It not only optimizes the workflow but also provides an opportunity to learn and apply DevOps tools in practice.

• I hope this article will be helpful for you as you implement CI/CD in your own projects!