How to Set Up a CI/CD Pipeline for WordPress Development (Step-by-Step Guide)

Introduction

In today’s fast-paced web development world, manually deploying WordPress websites is inefficient and error-prone. Implementing a CI/CD (Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment) pipeline can streamline development, improve code quality, and automate deployments, saving valuable time.

This guide will walk you through setting up a CI/CD pipeline for WordPress development using GitHub Actions, GitLab CI/CD, Bitbucket Pipelines, and Jenkins. Whether you’re working on a custom WordPress theme or plugin, this workflow will optimize your development process.

What is CI/CD and Why Do You Need It for WordPress?

A CI/CD pipeline automates the process of integrating code changes and deploying them efficiently.

Benefits of CI/CD for WordPress Development:

• Automated Testing & Validation – Ensure error-free PHP, JavaScript, and CSS code.
• Faster Deployment – Deploy updates with a single push.
• Improved Collaboration – Streamline teamwork in a multi-developer environment.
• Rollback Support – Revert changes quickly if something goes wrong.

Step 1: Set Up Git Repository

Start by creating a Git repository (GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket) and cloning it:

git clone <repo_url>
cd your-wordpress-project

Folder Structure

Organize your WordPress project. The most common approach is to track only custom themes and plugins while ignoring the core WordPress files.

wordpress-project/
│── wp-content/
│   ├── themes/
│   │   ├── my-custom-theme/
│   ├── plugins/
│   │   ├── my-custom-plugin/
│── .gitignore
│── README.md

Add .gitignore

Ignore unnecessary files to keep the repository clean:

# Ignore WordPress core files
wp-admin/
wp-includes/
index.php
wp-config.php

# Ignore uploads and cache
wp-content/uploads/
wp-content/cache/

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2. Setup Development Workflow with Branching

Use Git Flow or a similar branching strategy:

• main branch – Production-ready code.
• develop branch – For ongoing development.
• Feature branches (feature/feature-name) – For new features or fixes.
• Release branches (release/version) – For staging before deployment.

Example:

git checkout -b develop
git checkout -b feature/add-contact-form

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Step 3: Set Up CI/CD Pipeline

You can use GitHub Actions, GitLab CI/CD, Bitbucket Pipelines, or Jenkins to automate testing and deployment.

Option 1: GitHub Actions

Create a .github/workflows/deploy.yml file:

name: Deploy WordPress Site

on:
  push:
    branches:
      - main

jobs:
  deploy:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Checkout repository
        uses: actions/checkout@v3

      - name: Deploy files via FTP
        uses: SamKirkland/FTP-Deploy-Action@4.3.0
        with:
          server: ftp.yourserver.com
          username: ${{ secrets.FTP_USER }}
          password: ${{ secrets.FTP_PASSWORD }}
          local-dir: wp-content/
          server-dir: /public_html/wp-content/

Set Up GitHub Secrets:

Go to Settings > Secrets and add:

• FTP_USER
• FTP_PASSWORD

On a push to main, this will deploy your theme/plugin.

Option 2: GitLab CI/CD

Create a .gitlab-ci.yml file:

Set GitLab CI/CD Variables:

Go to Settings > CI/CD > Variables and add:

• FTP_USER
• FTP_PASSWORD

Option 3: Bitbucket Pipelines

Create a bitbucket-pipelines.yml file:

Option 4: Jenkins (Self-Hosted CI/CD)

Create a Jenkinsfile:

Set Up SSH Credentials in Jenkins:

Go to Manage Jenkins > Credentials and configure SSH access.

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Step 4: Local Development with Docker

To maintain a consistent development environment, use Docker:

Create docker-compose.yml

version: '3.1'
services:
  wordpress:
    image: wordpress
    restart: always
    ports:
      - "8000:80"
    environment:
      WORDPRESS_DB_HOST: db
      WORDPRESS_DB_USER: root
      WORDPRESS_DB_PASSWORD: root
      WORDPRESS_DB_NAME: wordpress
    volumes:
      - ./wp-content:/var/www/html/wp-content

  db:
    image: mysql:5.7
    restart: always
    environment:
      MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: root
      MYSQL_DATABASE: wordpress

Run the following command:

docker-compose up -d

Run:

Visit http://localhost:8000 to see your local WordPress setup.

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Step 5: Continuous Deployment (CD) to Staging and Production

For automated deployment:

• Use GitHub Actions / GitLab CI for file transfer.
• Use WP CLI on the server to automate updates.

Example Deployment via SSH

- name: Deploy via SSH
  uses: appleboy/ssh-action@v0.1.6
  with:
    host: ${{ secrets.SSH_HOST }}
    username: ${{ secrets.SSH_USER }}
    password: ${{ secrets.SSH_PASSWORD }}
    script: |
      cd /var/www/wordpress
      git pull origin main
      wp cache flush

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Step 6: Backup & Security

• Use UpdraftPlus or All-in-One WP Migration for backups.
• Enable SSH keys instead of passwords for secure Git operations.
• Set up Cloudflare or security plugins like Wordfence.

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Final Workflow

1. Develop locally using Docker.
2. Commit changes (feature/* → develop → main).
3. Push changes to GitHub/GitLab.
4. Pipeline deploys to the staging or production server.

Conclusion

Setting up a CI/CD pipeline for WordPress ensures a faster, safer, and more reliable development process. Whether you use GitHub Actions, GitLab CI/CD, Bitbucket Pipelines, or Jenkins, automation will streamline your workflow.

Next Steps

Would you like help setting this up for AWS, DigitalOcean, or cPanel? Or do you need to hire a WordPress developer to handle the setup for you?