SimpleDeploy

SimpleDeploy is a pull-based CI/CD engine designed for individual developers.

It shifts the build process from external pipelines directly onto the deployment server, eliminating the need for inbound webhooks or external runner access.

By monitoring a Git repository locally, it automates the pulling, building, and orchestration of Podman-based containerized applications.

1. Prerequisites

Ensure the deployment server has the following installed:

• Python 3.x

• Podman

• Git

Server Environment Setup

To ensure persistent container execution and image resolution, run:

# Keep user processes running after logout  
$ loginctl enable-linger $USER

# Ensure Podman searches Docker Hub
$ vi /etc/containers/registries.conf

# Add: unqualified-search-registries = ["docker.io"]

2. Installation

Clone the SimpleDeploy utility to your deployment server:

$ git clone https://github.com/ausrasul/simpledeploy.git
$ cd simpledeploy

3. Configuration

Step A: Configure the Engine (config.json)

Create or edit config.json in the SimpleDeploy directory to define the target source code.

Key	Description
dir	Relative path where the application code will be cloned.
cfg_file	Path to the CI/CD instructions (relative to the app repo).
url	Git repository URL.
branch	Target branch for deployment (default: main).
git_auth	Credentials for private repositories.
mount_dir	Internal container path for mounting the repository.

Step B: Configure the Pipeline (ci.json)

In your application repository, create the JSON file referenced in cfg_file above.

{
    "name": "project_pod_name",
    "volumes": ["data_volume"],
    "app": {
        "name": "main_container",
        "image": "node:18",
        "command": "node ./server.js",
        "ports": ["8080:3001"],
        "env": ["NODE_ENV=production"],
        "secrets": [
            { "secret": "db_password", "type": "env", "target": "DB_PASS" }
        ]
    },
    "services": [
        {
            "name": "cache_service",
            "image": "redis",
            "volumes": ["data_volume:/data"]
        }
    ]
}

4. Secret Management

SimpleDeploy utilizes host-level Podman secrets. These must be created manually before the first run:

$ echo "your_secret_value" | podman secret create db_password -

• Type mount: Exposes secret at /run/secrets/ (default).

• Type env: Maps secret to an environment variable via target.

5. Deployment & Automation

Manual Execution

Run the engine manually to verify the configuration:

# Standard run (pulls if changes detected)
$ python3 simpledeploy.py

# Force deployment even without new commits
$ python3 simpledeploy.py --deploy-anyway

# Rerun the workflow using existing local code
$ python3 simpledeploy.py --rerun-only   `

Automation via Cron

To enable "Continuous Deployment," schedule the script to check for updates every minute:

* * * * * /usr/bin/python3 /path/to/simpledeploy/simpledeploy.py >> /tmp/simpledeploy.log 2>&1

6. Advanced Command Chains

For complex builds, the command field in ci.json accepts an array.

Each string must terminate with a semicolon:

"command": [
    "npm install;",
    "npm run build;",
    "node ./dist/index.js"
]