The simplest deployment method: create a bare Git repository on your VPS with a post-receive hook that checks out code to your web root. Push from your local machine, and the code deploys automatically. Set up: git init --bare /home/git/mysite.git, create a post-receive hook that runs git --work-tree=/var/www/mysite --git-dir=/home/git/mysite.git checkout -f. Add a remote to your local repo: git remote add production ssh://git@yourserver/home/git/mysite.git. Deploy with git push production main.
Git-Based Deployment Workflows
The simplest deployment method: create a bare Git repository on your VPS with a post-receive hook that checks out code to your web root. Push from your local machine, and the code deploys automatically. Set up: git init --bare /home/git/mysite.git, create a post-receive hook that runs git --work-tree=/var/www/mysite --git-dir=/home/git/mysite.git checkout -f. Add a remote to your local repo: git remote add production ssh://git@yourserver/home/git/mysite.git. Deploy with git push production main.
Advanced Deployment Hooks
Enhance your post-receive hook with: dependency installation (npm install, composer install), build steps (npm run build), database migrations, cache clearing, service restarts, and Slack/email notifications. Add error checking so failed deployments don’t leave your site broken — deploy to a staging directory first, then swap the symlink only on success. This gives you atomic deployments with instant rollback capability.
Self-Hosted Git Platforms
For team collaboration, install Gitea or Forgejo — lightweight, self-hosted Git platforms with web UIs, pull requests, issues, and CI/CD integration. They run on minimal resources (512MB RAM) and provide a GitHub-like experience on your own infrastructure. Your code stays on your VPS — no third-party access. FastNode’s sub-10ms latency across the UK ensures fast Git operations even for large repositories.
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