How to Deploy Laravel Projects to Production Automatically Using GitHub Actions

Are you tired of manually uploading your Laravel project to a production server every time you push new updates? In this guide, you'll learn how to automate your Laravel deployment process using GitHub Actions — the DevOps-friendly, CI/CD tool built into GitHub.

Let’s streamline your workflow and deploy your Laravel app to your Hostinger VPS (or any SSH-accessible server) with a single git push.

✅ Why Use GitHub Actions for Laravel Deployment?

Using GitHub Actions allows you to:

• Automate your production deployment after every push.
• Avoid using insecure FTP tools.
• Save time and reduce human error.
• Build a proper CI/CD pipeline as a Laravel developer.

🧠 Prerequisites

Before starting, make sure you have:

1. A Laravel project hosted on GitHub.
2. A Hostinger VPS or Web Hosting plan with SSH access.
3. Access to the terminal/command line.
4. Composer installed on your server.

🛠️ Step 1: Generate SSH Key and Upload to Hostinger

1. Generate SSH Key on your local machine:

ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 -C "[email protected]"

It will generate two files:

• ~/.ssh/colorpark_hostinger (private key)
• ~/.ssh/colorpark_hostinger.pub (public key)

1. Add the public key to Hostinger:

Go to Hostinger → Advanced → SSH Access → SSH Keys
Click Add SSH Key, paste the public key content from:

cat ~/.ssh/colorpark_hostinger.pub

1. Save the private key content to be added as a GitHub Secret later:

cat ~/.ssh/colorpark_hostinger

🔐 Step 2: Add GitHub Secrets

In your GitHub repository:

Go to: Settings → Secrets and variables → Actions → New repository secret

Add the following secrets:

HOSTINGER_SSH_HOST='145.223.89.199'      # Your server IP
HOSTINGER_SSH_PORT='65002'               # Your SSH port
HOSTINGER_SSH_USER='u597250090'          # Your SSH username
HOSTINGER_SSH_KEY='(paste your PRIVATE key content)'
DEPLOY_PATH='/home/u597250090/domains/example.com/public_html'

📁 Step 3: Create GitHub Actions Workflow

Inside your Laravel project, create the following file:

mkdir -p .github/workflows
touch .github/workflows/deploy.yml

Paste the following complete deploy.yml config:

name: 🚀 Deploy to Hostinger

on:
  push:
    branches:
      - main

jobs:
  deploy:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest

    steps:
      - name: Checkout code
        uses: actions/checkout@v3

      - name: Set up SSH key
        run: |
          mkdir -p ~/.ssh
          echo "${{ secrets.HOSTINGER_SSH_KEY }}" > ~/.ssh/id_rsa
          chmod 600 ~/.ssh/id_rsa
          ssh-keyscan -p ${{ secrets.HOSTINGER_SSH_PORT }} ${{ secrets.HOSTINGER_SSH_HOST }} >> ~/.ssh/known_hosts

      - name: Deploy via rsync
        run: |
          rsync -avz --delete \
            --exclude=".env" \
            --exclude=".gitignore" \
            -e "ssh -p ${{ secrets.HOSTINGER_SSH_PORT }}" \
            ./ ${{ secrets.HOSTINGER_SSH_USER }}@${{ secrets.HOSTINGER_SSH_HOST }}:${{ secrets.DEPLOY_PATH }}

      - name: Laravel post-deploy commands
        uses: appleboy/ssh-action@master
        with:
          host: ${{ secrets.HOSTINGER_SSH_HOST }}
          username: ${{ secrets.HOSTINGER_SSH_USER }}
          key: ${{ secrets.HOSTINGER_SSH_KEY }}
          port: ${{ secrets.HOSTINGER_SSH_PORT }}
          script: |
            cd ${{ secrets.DEPLOY_PATH }}
            composer install --no-dev --prefer-dist --no-interaction
            php artisan optimize:clear

🚀 Step 4: Push Your Code to Trigger Deployment

Once everything is set up, just push your Laravel project to the main branch:

git add .
git commit -m "🔧 Configure GitHub Actions for auto deployment"
git push origin main

GitHub will automatically trigger the deployment. You can view the logs under the "Actions" tab of your GitHub repo.

✅ Bonus Tips

• Make sure your server has proper file permissions.
• Always back up your .env and database before running php artisan migrate --force.
• If using shared hosting, confirm if it supports SSH key login and composer.

📌 Final Thoughts

By integrating GitHub Actions into your Laravel deployment process, you’re not just saving time — you’re building a professional workflow that scales.

No more manual uploads, no more FTP. Just push and deploy. 🔥

Want to build more automation like this?

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