CI/CD Pipelines
Create and manage CI/CD pipelines, targets, domains, and registries from the CLI.
Elestio CI/CD Pipelines let you deploy your own code from GitHub, GitLab, or a Docker registry onto a dedicated VM managed by Elestio.
Architecture
A CI/CD deployment consists of two parts:
- CI/CD Target VM: A dedicated Elestio VM that hosts your pipelines
- Pipeline: A build/run definition linked to your repository
Step 1: Deploy a CI/CD Target VM
elestio deploy cicd --project 112 --name my-cicd-target
# With provider/region/size options
elestio deploy cicd \
--project 112 \
--name prod-cicd \
--provider hetzner \
--region fsn1 \
--size LARGE-4C-8G
Wait for it to be ready:
elestio wait <vmID>
Step 2a: Automated Pipeline (Recommended)
The CLI handles everything automatically: SSH key setup, Dockerfile generation, Docker image build, container start, and HTTP health check.
elestio cicd create --auto \
--target <vmID> \
--name my-app \
--repo owner/repo \
--mode github \
--auth-id <githubAuthID>
Available modes:
| Mode | Description |
|---|---|
github | GitHub Static SPA (Vite, React, etc.) |
github-fullstack | GitHub Full Stack (Node.js + frontend) |
gitlab | GitLab Static SPA |
gitlab-fullstack | GitLab Full Stack |
docker | Custom Docker Compose (no Git) |
Optional flags:
--branch main # Source branch (default: main)
--build-cmd "npm run build"
--run-cmd "npm start"
--install-cmd "npm install"
--build-dir dist/
--framework react
--node-version 20
After completion, your app is live at: https://-u.vm.elestio.app/
Step 2b: Manual Pipeline (from template)
For custom Docker deployments or advanced configurations.
# 1. Add SSH key so CLI can connect to the target VM
elestio ssh-keys add <vmID> --name "ci-key" --key "ssh-ed25519 AAAA..."
# 2. Generate a pipeline template
elestio cicd template docker > pipeline.json
# Other templates:
# elestio cicd template github
# elestio cicd template github-fullstack
# elestio cicd template gitlab
# 3. Edit pipeline.json with your config, then create the pipeline
elestio cicd create pipeline.json
# 4. SSH into the VM and configure your app
ssh root@<ipv4>
cd /opt/app/<pipeline-name>
# edit docker-compose.yml, add code, then:
docker-compose up -d
Managing Pipelines
# List all CI/CD target VMs
elestio cicd targets
# List pipelines on a target
elestio cicd pipelines <vmID>
# Get details of a specific pipeline
elestio cicd pipeline-info <vmID> <pipelineID>
# Restart a pipeline
elestio cicd pipeline-restart <vmID> <pipelineID>
# Stop a pipeline
elestio cicd pipeline-stop <vmID> <pipelineID>
# View build/runtime logs
elestio cicd pipeline-logs <vmID> <pipelineID>
# View deployment history
elestio cicd pipeline-history <vmID> <pipelineID>
# Delete a pipeline
elestio cicd pipeline-delete <vmID> <pipelineID> --force
Custom Domains for Pipelines
# List domains for a pipeline
elestio cicd domains <vmID> <pipelineID>
# Add a custom domain
elestio cicd domain-add <vmID> \
--pipeline <pipelineID> \
--domain myapp.example.com
# Remove a domain
elestio cicd domain-remove <vmID> \
--pipeline <pipelineID> \
--domain myapp.example.com
info
Point your DNS A record to the CI/CD target VM's IPv4 before adding the domain.
Docker Registries
Connect private registries for pulling custom images:
# List connected registries
elestio cicd registries
# Add Docker Hub registry
elestio cicd registry-add \
--name X \
--username U \
--password P \
--url REPO
# Add GitLab.com registry
elestio cicd registry-add \
--name X \
--username U \
--password P \
--url REPO \
--registry-type registry.gitlab.com \
--repo-id ID
# Add self-hosted GitLab registry
elestio cicd registry-add \
--name X \
--username U \
--password P \
--url REPO \
--registry-type gitlab-self-hosted \
--repo-id ID \
--gitlab-url gitlab.company.com
# Add GitHub Container Registry
elestio cicd registry-add \
--name X \
--username U \
--password P \
--url REPO \
--registry-type ghcr.io
registry-add options:
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
--name | Unique identity nickname for the registry credential |
--username | Registry username |
--password | Registry password or access token |
--url | Repository path (e.g. myuser/myrepo) not the registry host |
--registry-type | Registry host: docker.io (default), registry.gitlab.com, gitlab-self-hosted, ghcr.io |
--repo-id | GitLab project/repo ID — required for registry.gitlab.com and gitlab-self-hosted |
--gitlab-url | Self-hosted GitLab hostname (e.g. gitlab.company.com) — required for gitlab-self-hosted |
Troubleshooting Pipelines
Pipeline not starting
# Check logs
elestio cicd pipeline-logs <vmID> <pipelineID>
App not reachable
# SSH into the VM
ssh root@<ipv4>
# Check docker containers
cd /opt/app/<pipeline-name>
docker-compose ps
docker-compose logs
warning
Bind your app to 172.17.0.1:PORT an internal Docker network, not 0.0.0.0:PORT.
Trigger a manual rebuild
elestio cicd pipeline-restart <vmID> <pipelineID>