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CI/CD - Continuous Integration & Deployment

Status: Active
Last Updated: 2026-08-26 Category: CI/CD & GitOps
Prerequisites: kb/basics/git-fundamentals, kb/containers/docker-basics
Tags: ci-cd, forgejo, woodpecker-ci, gitops, automation, pipelines, self-hosted

Summary

Complete learning path for Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment using self-hosted, open-source tools. Focus on Forgejo (Git hosting) + Woodpecker CI (pipelines) as the GitLab/GitHub Actions alternative for homelabs and small-medium teams.

🎯 Learning Philosophy

Git → CI → CD → GitOps:

Git Basics → Forgejo Setup → Woodpecker CI → Auto Deploy → GitOps
 (Version)    (Self-Host)     (Pipelines)    (Delivery)   (Production)

This directory teaches CI/CD assuming basic Git knowledge but no prior CI/CD experience. Progression from manual builds through fully automated GitOps deployments.

📚 Learning Path


Prerequisites: Git fundamentals, Docker basics
         ↓
┌────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  PHASE 1: CI/CD Concepts               │
│  ├─ What is CI/CD?                     │
│  ├─ Build → Test → Deploy              │
│  ├─ Why automation matters             │
│  ├─ Manual vs automated workflows      │
│  └─ Self-hosted vs cloud services      │
└────────────────────────────────────────┘
         ↓
┌────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  PHASE 2: Forgejo (Git Hosting)        │
│  ├─ Self-hosted Git (GitHub alt)       │
│  ├─ Forgejo installation               │
│  ├─ User/organization management       │
│  ├─ Repository setup                   │
│  ├─ Access control & SSH keys          │
│  └─ Webhooks integration               │
└────────────────────────────────────────┘
         ↓
┌────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  PHASE 3: Woodpecker CI                │
│  ├─ Container-native CI/CD             │
│  ├─ Woodpecker installation            │
│  ├─ First pipeline (.woodpecker.yml)   │
│  ├─ Build steps & Docker images        │
│  ├─ Testing automation                 │
│  └─ Secrets management                 │
└────────────────────────────────────────┘
         ↓
┌────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  PHASE 4: Advanced Pipelines          │
│  ├─ Multi-stage builds                 │
│  ├─ Matrix builds (multi-platform)     │
│  ├─ Caching strategies                 │
│  ├─ Building Docker images             │
│  ├─ Publishing to Harbor registry      │
│  └─ Deployment automation              │
└────────────────────────────────────────┘
         ↓
┌────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  PHASE 5: GitOps & Production          │
│  ├─ GitOps principles                  │
│  ├─ Infrastructure as Code integration │
│  ├─ Kubernetes/k0s deployments         │
│  ├─ Rollback strategies                │
│  ├─ Monitoring & alerting              │
│  └─ Production best practices          │
└────────────────────────────────────────┘

📖 Articles in This Directory

✅ Recently Created (2026-08-26 headless-browser research session)

🟢 Phase 1: CI/CD Fundamentals (Start Here)

Understanding the Basics:

  1. cicd-concepts - What is CI/CD and why it matters

    • Continuous Integration explained
    • Continuous Deployment vs Delivery
    • Traditional vs modern workflows
    • Benefits and tradeoffs
    • Prerequisites: None
    • Time: 1 hour
    • Resources: [██░░░░░░░░] 20% - Conceptual

  2. manual-vs-automated - Why automate your workflow

    • Manual deployment pain points
    • Automation benefits
    • When to automate
    • Cost-benefit analysis
    • Prerequisites: Development experience
    • Time: 1 hour
    • Resources: [██░░░░░░░░] 20%

  3. self-hosted-vs-cloud - Self-hosted CI/CD advantages

    • GitHub Actions vs Woodpecker
    • GitLab CI/CD vs self-hosted
    • Privacy and control
    • Cost comparison
    • Prerequisites: CI/CD concepts
    • Time: 1 hour
    • Resources: [██░░░░░░░░] 20%

🟡 Phase 2: Forgejo (Self-Hosted Git)

  1. forgejo-introduction - Forgejo as GitHub alternative

    • What is Forgejo (Gitea fork)
    • Why Forgejo over Gitea/GitLab
    • Feature comparison
    • Use cases
    • Prerequisites: Git basics
    • Time: 1 hour
    • Resources: [██░░░░░░░░] 20%

  2. forgejo-installation - Installing Forgejo

    • Docker compose setup
    • Reverse proxy (Traefik/Caddy)
    • Database configuration
    • Initial admin setup
    • SSL/TLS configuration
    • Prerequisites: Docker basics
    • Time: 2-3 hours
    • Resources: [█████░░░░░] 50% - 2GB RAM

  3. forgejo-organization - Organizing repositories

    • Creating organizations
    • Team management
    • Repository permissions
    • SSH key management
    • Webhook configuration
    • Prerequisites: Forgejo installed
    • Time: 2 hours
    • Resources: [███░░░░░░░] 30%

  4. migrating-to-forgejo - Migrate from GitHub/GitLab

    • Repository migration tools
    • Preserving history
    • Updating CI/CD configs
    • Team transition
    • Prerequisites: Existing Git repos
    • Time: 2-4 hours
    • Resources: [████░░░░░░] 40%

🟠 Phase 3: Woodpecker CI (Pipeline Automation)

  1. woodpecker-introduction - Container-native CI/CD

    • What is Woodpecker CI
    • Drone CI fork benefits
    • Architecture overview
    • Forgejo integration
    • Prerequisites: CI/CD concepts
    • Time: 1 hour
    • Resources: [██░░░░░░░░] 20%

  2. woodpecker-installation - Installing Woodpecker

    • Docker compose deployment
    • Forgejo OAuth setup
    • Agent configuration
    • First repository activation
    • Prerequisites: Forgejo running
    • Time: 2-3 hours
    • Resources: [█████░░░░░] 50% - 2GB RAM

  3. first-pipeline - Your first .woodpecker.yml

    • Pipeline syntax basics
    • Build steps
    • Docker image selection
    • Testing commands
    • Pipeline execution
    • Prerequisites: Woodpecker installed
    • Time: 2-3 hours
    • Resources: [████░░░░░░] 40%

  4. pipeline-syntax - Woodpecker YAML deep dive

    • Pipeline structure
    • Step configuration
    • Environment variables
    • Conditional execution
    • Services (databases, Redis)
    • Prerequisites: First pipeline
    • Time: 3-4 hours
    • Resources: [█████░░░░░] 50%

  5. secrets-management - Secure secrets in pipelines

    • Adding secrets to Woodpecker
    • Environment-specific secrets
    • Using secrets in steps
    • Security best practices
    • Cross-reference: kb/security/vault-basics
    • Prerequisites: Pipeline basics
    • Time: 2 hours
    • Resources: [████░░░░░░] 40%

🔴 Phase 4: Advanced Pipelines (Power User)

  1. matrix-builds - Multi-platform testing

    • Matrix strategy explained
    • Testing multiple versions
    • Cross-platform builds
    • Parallel execution
    • Prerequisites: Pipeline syntax
    • Time: 2-3 hours
    • Resources: [██████░░░░] 60%

  2. caching-strategies - Speed up pipelines

    • Volume caching
    • Dependency caching
    • Docker layer caching
    • Cache invalidation
    • Prerequisites: Advanced pipelines
    • Time: 2 hours
    • Resources: [█████░░░░░] 50%

  3. building-docker-images - Build containers in CI

    • Docker-in-Docker
    • BuildKit usage
    • Multi-stage builds
    • Image tagging strategies
    • Pushing to Harbor registry
    • Prerequisites: Docker fundamentals
    • Time: 3-4 hours
    • Resources: [███████░░░] 70%

  4. testing-automation - Automated test suites

    • Unit tests in pipeline
    • Integration tests
    • Linting and formatting
    • Code coverage
    • Test reports
    • Prerequisites: Testing knowledge
    • Time: 4-5 hours
    • Resources: [██████░░░░] 60%

  5. deployment-patterns - Deploy from CI

    • SSH deployments
    • Docker compose deployments
    • Kubernetes/k0s deployments
    • Blue-green deployments
    • Canary releases
    • Prerequisites: Infrastructure knowledge
    • Time: 4-6 hours
    • Resources: [████████░░] 80%

⚫ Phase 5: GitOps & Production (Enterprise-Ready)

  1. gitops-principles - Git as source of truth

    • What is GitOps
    • Git-centric workflow
    • Declarative configuration
    • Reconciliation loops
    • Prerequisites: K8s or infrastructure basics
    • Time: 2-3 hours
    • Resources: [████░░░░░░] 40%

  2. gitops-with-argocd - ArgoCD for k0s

    • ArgoCD installation on k0s
    • Application definitions
    • Sync strategies
    • Self-healing apps
    • Prerequisites: k0s cluster
    • Time: 4-5 hours
    • Resources: [████████░░] 80%

  3. monitoring-pipelines - CI/CD observability

    • Pipeline metrics
    • Failed build alerts
    • Slack/Discord notifications
    • Prometheus metrics
    • Grafana dashboards
    • Cross-reference: kb/observability/
    • Prerequisites: CI/CD running
    • Time: 3-4 hours
    • Resources: [██████░░░░] 60%

  4. production-best-practices - Production CI/CD

    • Environment promotion
    • Approval workflows
    • Rollback strategies
    • Security scanning
    • Compliance auditing
    • Prerequisites: Production experience
    • Time: 4-6 hours
    • Resources: [█████████░] 90%

🔗 What Comes Next?

After mastering CI/CD:

For Infrastructure Automation:

For Container Orchestration:

For Security:

For Monitoring:

📊 Resource Requirements

Forgejo:

Woodpecker CI Server:

Woodpecker CI Agent (per agent):

Complete Stack (Forgejo + Woodpecker + Agent):

Learning Time Investment:

🛠️ Recommended Tool Stack

Core Stack (Required):

Supporting Tools:

GitOps Tools:

Alternatives to Consider:

💡 Pro Tips for CI/CD

  1. Start Simple: One repo, one pipeline, manual deploy first
  2. Version Pipelines: Pipeline configs in Git, versioned with code
  3. Fail Fast: Quick feedback loops, fail early in pipeline
  4. Idempotent Builds: Same input → same output, always
  5. Secrets Never in Git: Use secret management, never commit
  6. Monitor Everything: Pipeline metrics, build times, failure rates
  7. Cache Aggressively: Dependencies, build artifacts, Docker layers
  8. Test Locally: Run pipelines locally before pushing
  9. Document Processes: README with build/deploy instructions
  10. Automate Incrementally: Build → Test → Deploy, step by step

🔄 Common Learning Pitfalls

Pitfall 1: Over-Automating Too Soon

Pitfall 2: No Testing in Pipeline

Pitfall 3: Secrets in Git

Pitfall 4: No Rollback Plan

Pitfall 5: Ignoring Pipeline Failures

Pitfall 6: Complex Pipelines

Pitfall 7: No Local Testing

Pitfall 8: Single Agent Bottleneck

🔗 Related KB Sections

📝 Change Log

2026-01-30

🚀 Remember: CI/CD transforms development workflow. Automating builds, tests, and deployments saves hours daily, catches bugs early, and enables rapid iteration. Start with Forgejo + Woodpecker for privacy, control, and cost-effectiveness!

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