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CI/CD Setup Guide for Fly.io Deployment

This guide explains how to set up automatic deployment to Fly.io when you push to the main branch.

Overview

The GitHub Actions workflow (.github/workflows/fly-deploy.yml) automatically: 1. Runs your test suite 2. Deploys to Fly.io (if tests pass) 3. Provides deployment logs and status

One-Time Setup

Step 1: Get Your Fly API Token

Run this command in your terminal:

fly auth token

This will output your personal Fly.io API token. Copy this token - you'll need it in the next step.

Security Note: This token grants access to your Fly.io account. Keep it secure and never commit it to your repository.

Step 2: Add Token to GitHub Secrets

  1. Go to your GitHub repository
  2. Click Settings → Secrets and variables → Actions
  3. Click New repository secret
  4. Enter the following:
  5. Name: FLY_API_TOKEN
  6. Secret: (paste the token from Step 1)
  7. Click Add secret

That's it! You're done with the one-time setup.

Usage

Automatic Deployment

Simply push your code to the main branch:

git add .
git commit -m "Your commit message"
git push origin main

The workflow will automatically: 1. Run tests 2. Deploy to Fly if tests pass 3. Report status in the GitHub Actions tab

Manual Deployment

You can also trigger deployment manually from GitHub:

  1. Go to your repository on GitHub
  2. Click the Actions tab
  3. Select Deploy to Fly.io workflow
  4. Click Run workflow button
  5. Select the branch you want to deploy
  6. Click Run workflow

This is useful for: - Deploying hotfixes from a feature branch - Re-deploying without making a new commit - Testing the CI/CD pipeline

Monitoring Deployments

GitHub Actions

View deployment status and logs: 1. Go to Actions tab in your GitHub repo 2. Click on the latest workflow run 3. Expand the "Run Tests" and "Deploy to Fly" jobs to see logs

Fly.io Logs

After deployment completes, check your app logs:

fly logs

Or view in the Fly.io dashboard: https://fly.io/dashboard

Troubleshooting

"FLY_API_TOKEN secret not found"

Problem: The workflow fails with an error about missing FLY_API_TOKEN.

Solution: - Make sure you added the secret in GitHub: Settings → Secrets and variables → Actions - Secret name must be exactly FLY_API_TOKEN (case-sensitive) - Re-run the workflow after adding the secret

Tests are Failing

Problem: Deployment doesn't happen because tests fail.

Solution: - Check the test logs in the GitHub Actions tab - Fix the failing tests locally: dotnet test - Commit and push the fix

Deployment Fails

Problem: Tests pass but deployment to Fly fails.

Solution: - Check if your fly.toml is correct - Verify the app exists: fly apps list - Check Fly status: https://status.flycdn.net/ - Review deployment logs in GitHub Actions

Want to Skip Tests?

Not recommended, but if you need to deploy urgently:

  1. Temporarily comment out the needs: test line in .github/workflows/fly-deploy.yml
  2. Or, manually deploy from your local machine: fly deploy

Advanced: Deploy Tokens (Optional)

For better security, create a deploy-only token instead of using your personal token:

fly tokens create deploy -a ticket-masala

This creates a token scoped only to the ticket-masala app. Update the FLY_API_TOKEN secret with this new token.

Benefits: - More secure (limited to one app) - Can be revoked independently - Recommended for production

Workflow Details

The workflow file (.github/workflows/fly-deploy.yml) contains two jobs:

1. Test Job

  • Runs on: Every push to main
  • Uses: .NET 10
  • Steps: Restore → Build → Test

2. Deploy Job

  • Runs on: Only if tests pass
  • Uses: Fly CLI
  • Steps: Checkout → Setup Fly → Deploy

Customization

Deploy to Different Branches

To deploy from other branches, edit .github/workflows/fly-deploy.yml:

on:
  push:
    branches: [main, staging, production]  # Add your branches

Skip CI for Certain Commits

Add [skip ci] to your commit message:

git commit -m "Update README [skip ci]"

The workflow won't run for this commit.

Next Steps

  • Push your code to start automatic deployments!
  • 📊 Add a CI/CD badge to your README (optional)
  • Set up deployment notifications in Slack/Discord (optional)
  • 🌿 Configure preview deployments for pull requests (optional)

Questions?

  • GitHub Actions docs: https://docs.github.com/actions
  • Fly.io CI/CD guide: https://fly.io/docs/app-guides/continuous-deployment-with-github-actions/