Deploy your Docker App on AWS EC2 with CI/CD

Prerequisites:

1. Running Application: Ensure your app is up and running on your local machine.

2. Dockerfile: A Dockerfile should be created for your app.

4. Docker Hub Repository: Create a Docker Hub repository where your image will be pushed,.

3. AWS Account: You need an active AWS account. you’re good to go!

steps to deploy

1. Set Up GitHub Actions Workflow:

• In the root directory of your project, create a .github folder.
• Inside .github, create a workflows folder.
• In the workflows folder, add a file named deploy.yml.

The deploy.yml file will automatically log in to your Docker Hub account, build the Docker image, push it to your Docker Hub repository, access the EC2 server, pull the Docker image, and run it.

name: Build and push on Docker Hub

on:
  push:
    branches:
      - main

jobs:
  build-and-push:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: check Out Repo
        uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: login to Docker Hub
        uses: docker/login-action@v3
        with:
          username: ${{ secrets.DOCKER_USERNAME }}
          password: ${{ secrets.DOCKER_PASSWORD }}
        
      - name: Build Docker Image
        uses: docker/build-push-action@v6
        with:
          context: .
          file: ./docker/Dockerfile.user
          push: true
          tags: {yourdockerhubusername}/{yourappname}:latest # Update with your Docker image name and username

      - name: Deploy to EC2
        uses: appleboy/ssh-action@master
        with:
          host: ${{ secrets.SSH_HOST }}
          username: ${{ secrets.SSH_USERNAME }}
          key: ${{ secrets.SSH_KEY }}
          script: |
            sudo docker pull yourdockerhubusername/yourappname:latest
            sudo docker stop web-app || true
            sudo docker rm web-app || true
         #Update with your Docker image name and username
            sudo docker run -d --name web-app -p 3005:3000 {yourdockerhubusername}/{yourappname}:latest 

3. Create an EC2 Instance:

• Launch an EC2 instance and ensure it’s set up correctly.
• Add the EC2 instance details to your GitHub secrets.

4. Add Secrets to GitHub:

• Go to your repository’s settings on GitHub.
• Under Secrets, add the necessary secrets (DOCKER_USERNAME, DOCKER_PASSWORD, SSH_HOST, SSH_USERNAME, SSH_KEY).

make sure your secrets name is same as your deploy.yml file

For Docker Hub credentials:

• Go to Docker Hub settings, generate a new access token with read, write, and delete permissions, and add these credentials to GitHub secrets.

For EC2 credentials:

• Use your EC2 connection string to fill in the secrets:
• SSH_HOST: The EC2 instance’s public DNS (e.g., ec2-xx-xxx-xxx-xxx.compute.amazonaws.com).
• SSH_KEY: The contents of your .pem file.
• SSH_USERNAME: Typically ubuntu for Ubuntu instances.

5. Configure Security Groups:

• Ensure the required ports are open in your EC2 security groups. Add a custom TCP rule for both IPv4 and IPv6.

6. Test the Deployment:

• Make a small change in your repository and push the code.
• The CI/CD pipeline will trigger, and you can watch the deployment process in the GitHub Actions tab.
• Once deployed, you can access your application through your EC2 instance’s public IP address on the specified port (e.g., http://<your-ip-address>:3005).

Congratulations!

You’ve successfully deployed your Dockerized app on AWS EC2.

also you can pass your .env on the docker run command

To further enhance your deployment, you can pass environment variables via the docker run command. Additionally, you can configure a custom domain using NGINX.