How to Set Up a CI/CD Pipeline Using GitHub Actions (Step-by-Step Guide)

Managing a WordPress site can be frustrating when you have to manually upload themes or plugins for every minor change.

What if your code could automatically deploy to your WordPress site whenever you push updates to GitHub?

That’s where CI/CD with GitHub Actions makes life easier.

In this simple guide, you’ll learn how to set up a CI/CD pipeline that automatically updates your WordPress theme or plugin from GitHub to your web server.

What Is CI/CD?

CI/CD stands for Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment.

• Continuous Integration (CI): Runs automated checks whenever you push code to GitHub — for example, linting or testing.
• Continuous Deployment (CD): Automatically deploys your changes to your website when everything looks good.

In short: You push code → GitHub checks it → GitHub uploads it to your server automatically.

What You’ll Need

Before setting up GitHub Actions, make sure you have:

A WordPress site hosted on a server (like DigitalOcean, AWS, or cPanel).

SSH access to that server (so GitHub can connect securely).

A GitHub repository containing your WordPress theme or plugin.

1. A WordPress site hosted on a server (like DigitalOcean, AWS, or cPanel).
2. SSH access to that server (so GitHub can connect securely).
3. A GitHub repository containing your WordPress theme or plugin.
4. Basic understanding of Git (push, pull, etc.).

Step 1: Prepare Your Repository

If you’re working on a theme, your folder structure might look like this:

theme-name/
 ┣━ functions.php
 ┣━ style.css
 ┣━ templates/
 ┗━ assets/
 ┗━ ....

If it’s a plugin, it could look like:

plugin-name/
 ┣━ my-plugin.php
 ┣━ includes/
 ┗━ assets/

Push this folder to your GitHub repository.

Step 2: Create GitHub Action Workflow

Inside your GitHub repository, create a new file at:

.github/workflows/deploy.yml

Now paste this code:

name: Deploy WordPress Theme or Plugin

on:
  push:
    branches:
      - main  # deploy only when pushing to the main branch. 
      - branch-name You can add it on new line with - branch name
jobs:
  deploy:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest

    steps:
      - name: Checkout code
        uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: Setup SSH
        uses: webfactory/ssh-agent@v0.9.0
        with:
          ssh-private-key: ${{ secrets.SSH_KEY }}

      - name: Deploy via rsync
        run: |
          rsync -avz --delete \
            --exclude '.git*' \
            ./ ${{ secrets.SSH_USER }}@${{ secrets.SSH_HOST }}:/var/www/html/wp-content/themes/theme-name/

First, the workflow checks out your code from GitHub. Then it sets up an SSH connection using a private key from GitHub secrets, allowing secure access to your server. Finally, it uses rsync to upload your theme or plugin, updating files on the server and removing any old ones, while skipping Git-related files.

Step 3: Add GitHub Secrets

Go to your repository’s settings:
Settings → Secrets and variables → Actions → New repository secret

Add the following:

This keeps your credentials safe and hidden from your code.

Step 4: Test the Deployment

Now, whenever you make changes to your theme or plugin and push them to the main branch, GitHub Actions will automatically:

1. Connect to your server via SSH
2. Upload the latest files
3. Replace the old version in your WordPress folder

You can view progress in the Actions tab on GitHub.

Useful Links

• WordPress Developer Handbook
• GitHub Actions Documentation
• Rsync Command Guide

• CI/CD
• GitHub
• Pipeline
• Plugin
• Theme
• WordPress

The WebCoder

Article written by

The WebCoder

We are skilled in all aspects of web design, from planning and development to design and testing. I also have experience in web development technologies.