Hey folks!
I’m part of a small consulting team that delivers and maintains various projects for different clients. Right now, deployments are all manual — and I’d really like to automate that.
Ideally, the tool should be free, allow us to define deployment pipelines as code (so we can version control it), and be flexible enough to support multiple small-scale projects.
Jenkins is one option I’ve considered, but I’m curious if there are better or more modern alternatives suited for small teams.
I think you must have heard the name of this giant — GitHub.
They have GitHub Actions, which is lightweight and GitHub-native.
It’s best for teams already using GitHub for version control. The focus on ease of use, fast setup, and tight integration makes it a great experience altogether.
The unique angle here is the low maintenance and the fact that it’s ideal for teams with minimal infrastructure needs. Definitely worth a shot if you’re in that space!
Well, @charity-majors has already mentioned one of the offerings from GitHub, but I have one more for you — GitLab CI/CD.
Use Case: For teams looking to manage code and deployments in one place.
Why this? It emphasizes built-in features like review apps and issue tracking. It’s great for teams that want a full DevOps suite bundled into a free plan without needing to patch together different services.
I hope this helps. Thanks!
You need a free automated deployment tool for small client projects, right? The mix I’m suggesting would do the job:
Jenkins + Docker — maximum control, but with a higher setup effort.
Pros:
Each tool has its usability — hope you find this one useful!