GitHub Actions CI/CD for NestJS: Deploy to EC2 with Docker (Free)

What We're Building
Step 1 — Dockerize Your NestJS App
Step 2 — Set Up EC2 Server
Step 3 — Configure GitHub Secrets
Step 4 — Create GitHub Actions Workflow
Step 5 — Add Nginx Config
Step 6 — Database Migrations
Step 7 — Environment-Specific Workflows
What the Pipeline Looks Like
Common Issues & Fixes
Cost Breakdown
What You Now Have

Most developers deploy side projects manually — SSH in, pull code, restart, hope nothing breaks. Here's how to automate the entire process with GitHub Actions and deploy to EC2 on every push to main.

Building something like this? Hire me to build your backend — NestJS, Node.js, PostgreSQL & Redis, shipped production-ready.

Mentioned Technologies

#cicd#githubactions#devops#nestjs#nodejs#docker#aws#backend

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. GitHub Actions has a generous free tier that is enough to run tests, build Docker images, and deploy small-to-medium NestJS apps at no cost.

The workflow builds a Docker image on push, connects to the EC2 instance over SSH, pulls or transfers the image, and restarts the container, automated on every commit.

Docker is not strictly required, but it makes deployments reproducible and avoids environment drift between local, CI, and the EC2 server.

GitHub Actions CI/CD for NestJS: Deploy to EC2 with Docker (Free)

Mentioned Technologies

Frequently Asked Questions

Is GitHub Actions free for CI/CD?

How does the pipeline deploy to EC2?

Do I need Docker for this CI/CD setup?

Related Reading

Fastify to NestJS Migration: Zero Downtime with 1,000+ Live Users

NestJS + Prisma + PostgreSQL: The Production-Ready Freelance Stack

Multi-Tenant Backend with NestJS: Complete Guide (Shared Schema)

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