Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) is a cornerstone of modern development workflows. It automates code testing, building, and deployment, enabling faster releases, fewer errors, and more stable products. When using a VPS, you gain full control over your infrastructure, making your CI/CD process even more flexible and efficient.

In this article, we’ll walk through how to set up a CI/CD pipeline on a virtual server using GitHub Actions or GitLab Runner, along with the advantages of this approach.

Why Run CI/CD on Your Own VPS?

Popular CI/CD services often come with limitations—resource caps, timeouts, or restricted access to private infrastructure. Hosting on a VPS removes those barriers:

  • Unlimited resource control — You manage the CPU, memory, and storage.
  • Access to internal services — e.g., staging environments or private databases.
  • Custom runtime environments — Choose the software versions and stack you need.
  • Maximum security — Data and credentials stay under your control.

This is why many DevOps teams opt to run their CI/CD agents on VPS infrastructure.

Choosing a Tool: GitHub Actions vs GitLab Runner

GitHub Actions

GitHub Actions is GitHub’s native CI/CD system. It executes workflows based on events (pushes, pull requests, tags, etc.).

Advantages:

  • Seamless integration with GitHub repositories.
  • YAML-based workflow files stored in your project.
  • Support for self-hosted runners on your VPS.

How to use it on VPS:

  1. Deploy a VPS (for example, from Server.ua VPS hosting).
  2. Install the GitHub Runner binary on your VPS.
  3. Register the runner for your repo or GitHub organization.
  4. Add a workflow file like .github/workflows/main.yml.

Example workflow:

yaml

name: Deploy to VPS
on:
  push:
    branches: [ main ]
jobs:
  deploy:
    runs-on: self-hosted
    steps:
    - uses: actions/checkout@v3
    - run: ./deploy.sh

GitLab Runner

GitLab CI is an integrated CI/CD system included with GitLab. GitLab Runner executes the jobs defined in .gitlab-ci.yml.

Advantages:

  • Compatible with GitLab.com and self-hosted GitLab.
  • Advanced pipeline configuration and visualization.
  • Multiple executor types: Docker, shell, SSH, etc.

How to set up on VPS:

  1. Install the runner:

bash

sudo apt install gitlab-runner
  1. Register it:

bash

sudo gitlab-runner register
  1. Choose your executor (e.g., shell or docker).
  2. Add your pipeline file .gitlab-ci.yml.

Example .gitlab-ci.yml:

yaml

stages:
  - build
  - deploy

build:
  stage: build
  script:
    - npm install
    - npm run build

deploy:
  stage: deploy
  script:
    - bash ./scripts/deploy.sh

Why CI/CD on VPS is a Smart Choice

  • Access to private environments — You can connect to VPNs, private subnets, or staging servers without extra tunneling.
  • Advanced monitoring and logging — Integrate with tools like Grafana, Zabbix, or Prometheus.
  • Parallel job execution — Run multiple pipelines depending on your VPS capacity.

Fun fact: many large open-source projects like Firefox and Kubernetes use self-hosted runners to maintain performance, security, and cost-efficiency.

Securing Your CI/CD Workflow

Security is critical when dealing with deployments. Here are a few key practices:

  • Never store secrets in your codebase.
  • Use environment secrets (GitHub Secrets, GitLab CI/CD Variables).
  • Update your VPS and runner software regularly.
  • Apply least privilege principles for runners and services.

Who Should Use VPS for CI/CD?

  • Teams wanting full control over their CI/CD infrastructure.
  • Developers hosting staging or production on VPS.
  • DevOps engineers needing to integrate with internal tools.
  • Companies seeking cost-effective CI/CD compared to cloud services.

Final Thoughts

Running a CI/CD pipeline on a VPS gives you the power, flexibility, and security that cloud-based services often lack. Whether you choose GitHub Actions or GitLab Runner, you can automate your builds and deployments with complete control over the environment.

Self-hosted runners let you reduce dependency on third parties while scaling your automation workflows. For a reliable VPS with SSD storage, flexible plans, and 24/7 support, check out Server.ua’s hosting options.

Start building your CI/CD pipeline today — and take your development process to the next level.