Getting Started

Server Setup

Prerequisites:

A Debian/Ubuntu server with SSH access

One-Line Installation (Recommended)


curl -fsSL "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Shawiizz/dockflow/main/cli/cli_wrapper.sh?$(date +%s)" | bash

The CLI will guide you through:

Configuring this server
Creating a deployment user
Configuring SSH keys
Installing Docker and Portainer (optional)

Alternative: Use Docker image

If you prefer using Docker:


docker run -it --rm -v ${HOME}/.ssh:/root/.ssh -v .:/project shawiizz/dockflow-cli:latest

CI/CD Configuration

Create Project Structure

You can use the CLI to automatically generate the project structure:


# GitHub Actions project
docker run -it --rm -v .:/project shawiizz/dockflow-cli:latest init github
 
# GitLab CI project
docker run -it --rm -v .:/project shawiizz/dockflow-cli:latest init gitlab

This creates the following structure:


.deployment/
├── docker/
│   ├── docker-compose.yml           # Define your services
│   └── Dockerfile.[service]         # One per service
├── env/                             # OPTIONAL: Can use CI secrets instead
│   └── .env.[environment]           # OPTIONAL: Environment variables
└── templates/
    ├── nginx/                       # Custom Nginx configs (optional)
    ├── services/                    # Custom systemd services (optional)
    └── scripts/                     # Custom scripts (optional)

Copy CI Config File

GitHub Actions:


example/ci/github-ci.yml → .github/workflows/deploy.yml

GitLab CI:


example/ci/gitlab-ci.yml → .gitlab-ci.yml

⚠️ GitHub users in organizations: Fork this repo and update the uses URL in your workflow file.

Add Repository Secrets

Required secrets in your CI/CD settings:

Secret Name	Description	Example
`[ENV]_CONNECTION`	Recommended: All-in-one connection string (Host, User, Key, Password) generated by the CLI	`PRODUCTION_CONNECTION`
`[ENV]_SSH_PRIVATE_KEY`	Alternative: SSH key for main host	`PRODUCTION_SSH_PRIVATE_KEY`
`[ENV]_[HOSTNAME]_SSH_PRIVATE_KEY`	Alternative: SSH key for specific host	`PRODUCTION_SERVER_A_SSH_PRIVATE_KEY`
`GIT_TOKEN`	OPTIONAL: Remote build option	GitHub/GitLab token

Note: The [ENV]_CONNECTION secret is automatically generated by the CLI during server setup. It contains all necessary connection details (Host, Port, User, Private Key, Password).

Dynamic Variable Override System:

Any CI secret starting with [ENV]_ or [ENV]_[HOSTNAME]_ will automatically override corresponding environment variables.