Deploy a Laravel app for free with GitHub Actions

cd.yml

name: CD

on:
  push:
    branches: [ production ]

jobs:
  deploy:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
    - uses: actions/checkout@v2
      with:
        token: ${{ secrets.PUSH_TOKEN }}
    - name: Set up Node
      uses: actions/setup-node@v1
      with:
        node-version: '12.x'
    - run: npm install
    - run: npm run production
    - name: Commit built assets
      run: |
        git config --local user.email "action@github.com"
        git config --local user.name "GitHub Action"
        git checkout -B deploy
        git add -f public/
        git commit -m "Build front-end assets"
        git push -f origin deploy
    - name: Deploy to production
      uses: appleboy/ssh-action@master
      with:
        username: YOUR USERNAME GOES HERE
        host: YOUR SERVER'S HOSTNAME GOES HERE
        password: ${{ secrets.SSH_PASSWORD }}
        script: 'cd /var/www/html && ./server_deploy.sh'

ci.yml

name: CI

on: [ push, pull_request ]

jobs:
  tests:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    
    steps:
    - uses: actions/checkout@v2
    - name: Install dependencies
      run: composer install
    - name: Run tests
      run: vendor/bin/phpunit

deploy.sh

#!/bin/sh
set -e

vendor/bin/phpunit
npm run prod

git add .
(git commit -m "Build frontend assets for deployment to production") || true
(git push) || true

git checkout production
git merge master

git push origin production

git checkout master

server_deploy.sh

#!/bin/bash
set -e

echo "Deploying application ..."

# Enter maintanance mode
php artisan down
    # Update codebase
    git fetch origin deploy
    git reset --hard origin/deploy

    # Install dependencies based on lock file
    composer install --no-interaction --prefer-dist --optimize-autoloader

    # Migrate database
    php artisan migrate --force

    # Clear cache
    php artisan optimize

    # Reload PHP to update opcache
    echo "" | sudo -S service php7.4-fpm reload
# Exit maintenance mode
php artisan up

echo "🚀 Application deployed!"

• Some public/ assets are in .gitignore, but are built on GitHub
• master branch is used for development
• production is pushed and deployed
• deploy is created by the Action, by taking production and adding a commit with the built assets

So the code flows like this: master --> production --> deploy.