Git integration in CloudPanel: deploy from GitHub

Git enables version control and collaborative development. CloudPanel integrates Git to pull code directly from GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket. Deploy latest code with a single command or automatically when you push. Perfect for development workflows, team projects, and continuous deployment pipelines.

Git Overview

Why Git integration matters:

• Version control: Track every code change, revert if needed
• Collaboration: Multiple developers work simultaneously
• Deployment: Deploy code directly from repository
• Automation: Webhooks trigger deploys on push (no manual FTP)
• CI/CD: Integrate with automated testing and deployment

Git in CloudPanel

CloudPanel Git features:**

• Clone repository to website directory
• Pull latest code with one command
• Webhook support for automatic deploys
• SSH key management
• Multi-branch support
• Deploy history and logs

Setup SSH Keys

SSH keys authenticate with GitHub/GitLab without passwords:**

Step 1: Generate SSH key pair on your server**

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "deployment@yourdomain.com" -f /root/.ssh/id_deploy
# Leave passphrase empty for automated deploys

Step 2: Copy public key to GitHub**

# Display public key
cat /root/.ssh/id_deploy.pub

# Copy entire output

GitHub settings:**

1. Repository → Settings → Deploy Keys
2. Click "Add deploy key"
3. Paste public key from above
4. Check "Allow write access" if deployments need to push back
5. Save

Alternative: Add to GitHub account keys (accessible to all repos):**

1. GitHub profile → Settings → SSH and GPG keys
2. Click "New SSH key"
3. Paste public key
4. Save

Clone Repository

Method 1: Via CloudPanel Web Interface**

1. CloudPanel → Websites → [Your Domain]
2. Click "Git"
3. Click "Clone Repository"
4. Enter repository URL:
   • SSH format (recommended): git@github.com:youruser/yourrepo.git
   • HTTPS format: https://github.com/youruser/yourrepo.git
5. Enter branch: main (or master, develop)
6. Click "Clone"

Method 2: Via SSH command**

cd /home/cloudpanel/www/yourdomain.com
git clone git@github.com:youruser/yourrepo.git .
git checkout main

Webhook Configuration

Webhooks automatically pull code when you push to GitHub:**

Step 1: Generate webhook URL in CloudPanel**

1. CloudPanel → Websites → [Your Domain] → Git
2. Copy "Webhook URL" (looks like: https://yourdomain.com/webhook/secret-token)

Step 2: Add webhook to GitHub**

1. Repository → Settings → Webhooks
2. Click "Add webhook"
3. Paste CloudPanel webhook URL
4. Event type: "Push events"
5. Click "Add webhook"

Step 3: Test webhook**

1. Make a commit and push to GitHub
2. CloudPanel automatically pulls latest code
3. View deployment log: CloudPanel → Websites → [Domain] → Git → Logs

Auto-Deploy on Push

Automated deployment workflow:**

1. Developer commits and pushes code to GitHub
   git commit -am "Update homepage"
   git push origin main

2. GitHub sends webhook to CloudPanel
   POST https://yourdomain.com/webhook/...

3. CloudPanel receives webhook
   Extracts repository and branch info
   Executes: git pull origin main

4. New code deployed
   Live immediately on yourdomain.com

Optional: Run deployment scripts**

After pulling code, CloudPanel can execute post-deploy scripts:

#!/bin/bash
# Post-deploy script (.cloudpanel-deploy.sh)

# Install dependencies
npm install
npm run build

# Or Python
pip install -r requirements.txt

# Or PHP/Laravel
composer install
php artisan migrate --force

Recommended Workflow

Development → Staging → Production**

1. Development: Local git repo, push to GitHub develop branch
2. Staging: Separate domain/VPS pulls from GitHub develop branch via webhook
3. Production: Main domain pulls from GitHub main branch via webhook after testing

Branch strategy:**

main → Stable, production code
↑
develop → Testing, next release
↑
feature/login → Individual features

Workflow:
1. Create feature branch: git checkout -b feature/login
2. Make changes, commit
3. Push to GitHub: git push origin feature/login
4. Create pull request
5. Code review, approve
6. Merge to develop
7. Test on staging (pulls develop branch)
8. Merge develop → main
9. Production updates automatically

Troubleshooting

Git clone fails with "Permission denied":**

• Check SSH key is added to GitHub/GitLab
• Verify key permissions: chmod 600 /root/.ssh/id_deploy
• Test connection: ssh -i /root/.ssh/id_deploy git@github.com

Webhook not triggering auto-deploy:**

• Verify webhook URL is correct in GitHub settings
• Check GitHub webhook delivery logs (Settings → Webhooks → Recent Deliveries)
• Verify CloudPanel firewall allows webhook requests
• Check CloudPanel logs: journalctl -u cloudpanel -f

Files not updating after push:**

• Verify webhook is configured correctly
• Check file permissions (CloudPanel user must have write access)
• Manually pull: cd /path/to/site && git pull origin main
• Review deployment logs in CloudPanel

Merge conflicts from server-side changes:**

• Avoid editing files directly on server
• Always edit locally, commit, push to GitHub
• If conflicts occur: git reset --hard origin/main (dangerous, data loss possible)

Related: CloudPanel setup | GitHub deployment | GitLab integration | Continuous deployment

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