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CI evolution: From FTP client to GitHub Action

· 3 min read
Ajay Dhangar

In the early days of web development, the most common way to deploy a website was to use an FTP client. This involved manually uploading files to a remote server, which was a time-consuming and error-prone process. As web development practices evolved, so did the tools and techniques for deploying websites. One of the most significant advancements in this area has been the introduction of continuous integration (CI) and continuous deployment (CD) pipelines, which automate the process of building and deploying web applications.

In this article, we'll take a look at the evolution of remote file management, from the use of FTP clients to the adoption of GitHub Actions for automated deployment.

The FTP client era​

In the early days of web development, the most common way to deploy a website was to use an FTP client. This involved manually uploading files to a remote server, which was a time-consuming and error-prone process. Developers would typically make changes to their local files, then use an FTP client to upload those changes to the server. This process was often slow and cumbersome, and it was easy to make mistakes that could result in broken websites.

The rise of CI/CD pipelines​

As web development practices evolved, so did the tools and techniques for deploying websites. One of the most significant advancements in this area has been the introduction of continuous integration (CI) and continuous deployment (CD) pipelines. CI/CD pipelines automate the process of building and deploying web applications, making it faster, more reliable, and less error-prone than manual deployment methods.

GitHub Actions for automated deployment​

One of the most popular CI/CD solutions for web development is GitHub Actions. GitHub Actions is a powerful, flexible, and easy-to-use tool for automating the build, test, and deployment processes of web applications. With GitHub Actions, you can define custom workflows that automatically build and deploy your web applications whenever you push changes to your repository. This makes it easy to ensure that your websites are always up-to-date and error-free, without the need for manual intervention.

Conclusion​

The evolution of remote file management has come a long way since the days of using FTP clients to manually upload files to remote servers. With the introduction of CI/CD pipelines and tools like GitHub Actions, web developers now have powerful, automated solutions for building and deploying web applications. These tools make it faster, easier, and more reliable to deploy websites, and they help ensure that your websites are always up-to-date and error-free. If you're still using an FTP client to deploy your websites, it's time to consider upgrading to a more modern, automated solution like GitHub Actions.