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DevOps Day 79: Automating Deployment with Jenkins, Git Triggers & SCP Deployment

This task was about building a fully automated deployment pipeline. The goal was simple: Any change pushed to the Git repo must automatically get deployed to the Storage Server’s /var/www/html directory.

I intentionally used the simplest and most practical approach: sshpass + scp + Jenkins Secret Text + Poll SCM. No Jenkins agents, no fancy deployment plugins — just a direct, clean CD flow.

The Task

  1. Install and configure Apache (httpd) on all App Servers to run on port 8080.
  2. Create a Jenkins job that automatically deploys code changes from the master branch of the Git repo.
  3. Ensure Jenkins can push updated content to the Storage Server.
  4. Verify the deployment by modifying index.html, pushing to Git, and checking that Jenkins deploys it within a minute.

My Updated, Actual Approach (The Real Workflow)

This section explains exactly what I did — no theoretical shortcuts.

1. Install Git & Credentials Plugin in Jenkins

I installed the Git plugin and the Credentials Binding plugin.

2. Add Credentials for Sarah

  • Type: Secret Text
  • ID: sarah-pass
  • Secret: Sarah's password

This allowed Jenkins to inject the password into the build environment.

Jenkins Job Setup (nautilus-app-deployment)

SCM Configuration

  • Git Repo: http://git.stratos.xfusioncorp.com/sarah/web.git
  • Credentials: Sarah (username/password)
  • Branch: master

Build Trigger

* * * * *
This makes Jenkins poll the Git repo every minute.

Environment Injection

Selected: 

Use secret text(s) or file(s)
Added: - Variable: SARAH_PASS - Secret text: Sarah's password

Build Step (Execute Shell)

I used SCP with sshpass to deploy files to the Storage Server.

sshpass -p "$SARAH_PASS" scp -o StrictHostKeyChecking=no -r * sarah@ststor01:/var/www/html

This does a brute-force but effective deployment: - Takes the workspace files - Copies everything to /var/www/html on the Storage Server

Storage Server Preparation

sudo chown -R sarah:sarah /var/www/html
This prevents permission errors during deployments.

Testing the Pipeline

  1. SSH into Storage Server as Sarah: 
    ssh sarah@ststor01
  2. Navigate to cloned repo: 
    cd web
  3. Edit index.html: 
    vi index.html
  4. Commit & push: 
    git add index.html
git commit -m "Update welcome message"
git push origin master
  5. Wait 1 minute → Jenkins sees the change → Job triggers
  6. Jenkins deploys updated files via SCP
  7. Site instantly reflects new content

Why This Approach Works

  • Simple: No need for agents or plugins beyond basics
  • Direct: SCP pushes files straight to the production directory
  • Repeatable: Every commit = fresh deployment
  • Fast: Zero complexity, minimal moving parts

Common Pitfalls

  • Wrong permissions in /var/www/html = deployment failure
  • Forgetting to inject secret text = sshpass will fail
  • Poll SCM requires correct cron format
  • SCP copies the entire workspace — know what you're deploying

Summary

You push code → Git updates → Jenkins detects change → SCP deploys files → App servers immediately serve new content from Storage Server.

This is a clean, minimal CD pipeline — reliable, transparent, and easy to debug.