How to Create CI/CD Pipelines with GitHub Actions for Modern PHP Projects

Introduction

Continuous Integration (CI) and Continuous Delivery (CD) are essential practices in modern software development, especially in PHP projects. With the use of GitHub Actions, it's possible to automate the entire process of tests, builds, and deploys, ensuring that each code change is tested and implemented quickly and efficiently. In this article, you'll learn how to create CI/CD pipelines for your PHP applications using GitHub Actions.

What Are CI and CD?

Continuous Integration (CI)

Continuous Integration is a development practice where developers frequently integrate their code into a shared repository. Each integration is verified through automated tests, allowing errors to be detected quickly.

Continuous Delivery (CD)

Continuous Delivery is an extension of CI, where the code is automatically prepared for a production release. This means that after successful integration, the code is ready to be deployed.

Advantages of Using GitHub Actions

• Automation: Allows automating the entire workflow, from build to deploy.
• Flexibility: Supports a variety of languages and services.
• Native Integration: Works perfectly with GitHub repositories.

Creating Your CI/CD Pipeline

1. Setting Up the Repository

First, you need a repository on GitHub where your PHP project is hosted. Make sure your code is organized and that you have a composer.json file configured to manage your dependencies.

2. Creating the Workflow File

Create a directory called .github/workflows in your repository. Inside it, create a file called ci-cd.yml. This file will define your workflow.

Workflow Configuration Example

name: CI/CD Pipeline

on:
  push:
    branches:
      - main
  pull_request:
    branches:
      - main

jobs:
  build:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest

    steps:
      - name: Checkout code
        uses: actions/checkout@v2

      - name: Setup PHP
        uses: shivammathur/setup-php@v2
        with:
          php-version: '8.0'

      - name: Install dependencies
        run: composer install

      - name: Run tests
        run: ./vendor/bin/phpunit

3. Setting Up the Deploy

To implement automatic deployment, you can add a new step to your workflow. For example, if you're using a remote server via SSH:

- name: Deploy
  run: |
    ssh user@your-server "cd /path/to/your/app && git pull origin main && composer install"

4. Testing the Pipeline

After configuring the workflow file, make a push to your repository. GitHub Actions will automatically start the pipeline, running the tests and, if successful, performing the deployment.

Real Case Examples

Case 1: E-commerce

A developer from an e-commerce implemented CI/CD using GitHub Actions to automate the testing and deployment process. As a result, the time to release new features was reduced by 50%, improving customer satisfaction.

Case 2: Management Application

A development team of a management application adopted CI/CD and noticed a significant decrease in the number of bugs in production. Automation allowed developers to focus on new features instead of last-minute fixes.

Conclusion

Integrating CI/CD into your PHP projects with GitHub Actions not only improves development efficiency but also increases software quality. With a well-configured pipeline, you can ensure that your application is always ready for the market, with fewer errors and greater speed.

Call to Action

Ready to automate your development?

Contact our team and discover how to implement CI/CD in your PHP project.

Request a quote