deployment-guide

name	deployment-guide
description	SiteGround deployment setup including SSH keys and GitHub secrets. Use when user wants to deploy, go live, publish, or set up hosting.
allowed-tools	Read, Bash, AskUserQuestion

Deployment Guide

Walk users through deploying their website to SiteGround hosting.

Prerequisites Check

Before starting, verify the user has:

1. GitHub repository - Code pushed to GitHub
2. SiteGround account - With SSH access enabled
3. Domain configured - Domain pointing to SiteGround

Ask: "Do you have a SiteGround account with SSH access enabled?"

---

Step 1: SSH Key Generation

Guide the user to generate an SSH key pair for deployment:

# Generate key (no passphrase for automated deployment)
ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 -f ~/.ssh/siteground_deploy -N ""

After running:

# View public key (add to SiteGround)
cat ~/.ssh/siteground_deploy.pub

# View private key (add to GitHub secrets)
cat ~/.ssh/siteground_deploy

---

Step 2: SiteGround Configuration

Guide the user through SiteGround's interface:

1. Log in to SiteGround Site Tools
2. Navigate to Devs → SSH Keys Manager
3. Click Import and paste the public key
4. Name it (e.g., "GitHub Deploy")
5. Click Manage SSH Access to get connection details:
   • Host: Server hostname
   • Port: Usually 18765 (SiteGround's non-standard port)
   • Username: SSH username

Ask: "Can you share your SSH host, port, and username from SiteGround?"

---

Step 3: GitHub Secrets Configuration

Guide the user to add repository secrets:

1. Go to GitHub repository → Settings
2. Navigate to Secrets and variables → Actions
3. Add these Repository secrets:

Secret Name	Value
SSH_PRIVATE_KEY	Contents of ~/.ssh/siteground_deploy (private key)
SSH_HOST	SiteGround server hostname
SSH_PORT	18765 (or provided port)
SSH_USERNAME	SiteGround SSH username

---

Step 4: Verify Domain Configuration

Check that .github/workflows/deploy.yml has the correct domain:

env:
  DOMAIN: your-domain.com  # Should match user's domain

If not set, update it.

---

Step 5: Test Deployment

Guide the user through the first deployment:

1. Commit and push changes to main branch:

   git add -A
   git commit -m "Configure deployment"
   git push origin main
   

2. Monitor deployment:

   gh run list --limit 1
   

3. Verify the website at https://{domain}

---

Troubleshooting

SSH Connection Failed

• Verify SSH key is correctly added to SiteGround
• Check port number (SiteGround uses 18765, not 22)
• Confirm hostname is correct

Permission Denied

• Verify SSH username matches SiteGround account
• Check public key is active in SiteGround

Files Not Updating

• Check rsync exclude patterns in deploy.yml
• Verify DOMAIN matches your setup
• Ensure deployment path exists on SiteGround

---

Success Message

Once deployment succeeds:

Your website is live at https://{domain}

Future changes will deploy automatically when you push to the main branch.