Automating Docker Swarm Deployments:

Using GitHub as a Repository and Deploying with Portainer EE

Introduction

Managing Docker Swarm stacks efficiently requires proper version control and automation. In this guide, you’ll learn how to: ✅ Set up a GitHub repository for your Docker Swarm configuration. ✅ Deploy a stack in Portainer EE directly from the GitHub repository. ✅ Automate deployments for seamless updates and improvements.

By following these steps, you’ll enable automated stack deployment and version tracking in a production-ready Swarm environment.

Step 1: Set Up a GitHub Repository for Docker Compose Files

Before deploying with Portainer EE, you need a GitHub repository to host your stack configurations.

1. Create a GitHub Repository

1️⃣ Log into GitHub and navigate to GitHub Repositories. 2️⃣ Click New repository and name it (e.g., docker-swarm-stacks). 3️⃣ Set visibility (Private or Public). 4️⃣ Click Create repository.

2. Add Your Docker Compose File

Create a Docker Swarm stack definition inside your repository.

Example: docker-compose.yml

yaml

version: "3.9"

services:
  app:
    image: nginx
    ports:
      - "80:80"
    deploy:
      replicas: 3
      restart_policy:
        condition: on-failure

3. Commit and Push to GitHub

Upload your file to GitHub from your local machine:

bash

git init
git add docker-compose.yml
git commit -m "Initial stack configuration"
git branch -M main
git remote add origin https://github.com/yourusername/docker-swarm-stacks.git
git push -u origin main

Step 2: Configure Portainer EE to Deploy from GitHub

1. Log into Portainer EE

✅ Open your Portainer EE dashboard. ✅ Navigate to your Swarm environment.

2. Set Up GitHub as an External Repository

1️⃣ Go to Stacks → Add a Stack. 2️⃣ Choose Git Repository as the deployment source. 3️⃣ Enter your GitHub repository URL:

https://github.com/yourusername/docker-swarm-stacks.git

4️⃣ Specify the branch (main) and file (docker-compose.yml). 5️⃣ Enter authentication credentials if using a private repository.

3. Deploy the Stack

Click Deploy the stack to initiate the deployment process.

Step 3: Automate Stack Updates

To ensure automatic redeployment of updated stacks:

✅ Enable Webhooks in GitHub to notify Portainer EE. ✅ Set a Cron Job to pull latest changes in Portainer EE. ✅ Use Watchtower to monitor image updates.

Example automation using Portainer API:

bash

curl -X POST http://portainer.example.com/api/stacks/redeploy -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN"

Conclusion

By integrating GitHub with Portainer EE, you’ve built a scalable, automated deployment pipeline. Your stacks remain version-controlled, easily updated, and secure.