I was in need of an automatic CLI-deployment for my 11ty blog right here and I solved it using rsync.
Rsync (Remote Sync) is a command-line utility for file synchronization and data transfer between local and remote systems. rsync is often used for backups, so it can for example just upload the files that have changed or delete files that are no longer existent.
rsyncrsync (Uberspace in my case)Make sure rsync is working on your system. It should be pre-installed on MacOS and Linux. On Windows you could use WSL or Cygwin with rsync
rsync --version
This should output a version.
Add a deploy step to your npm scripts
"scripts": {
"deploy": "rsync -avz _site/ user@your-server:/path/to/destination"
}
Here’s an explanation of the -avz parameters
Replace user@your-server:/path/to/destination with your server details and destination path
Run the deploy script…
npm run deploy
…and watch the magic happen! ✨
Since we’re all lazy, here are some convenience functions to make your life even easier.
Just add a build step before the rsync part.
"deploy": "npm run build && rsync -avz _site/ user@your-server:/path/to/"
⚠️ DANGER: Only do this if you’re sure there are only 11ty generated files inside your _sites folder!
Deleting the generated folder makes sure you don’t carry any old versions of CSS files or other stuff.
"deploy": "rm -rf _site && npm run build && rsync -avz _site/ user@your-server:/path/to/"
⚠️ DANGER: Only do this if you’re sure there are only 11ty generated files on your remote location!
The --delete parameter makes sure old files are deleted.
"deploy": "rsync -avz --delete _site/ user@your-server:/path/to/"
If you don’t want to type your password on every deployment, you might want to set ssh keys for your connection. Here’s how that works at Uberspace, but it might work differently on other hosts.
"deploy": "rm -rf _site && npm run build && rsync -avz --delete _site/ user@your-server:/path/to/"
…and I am an Expert for Web Accessibility and UX-Engineer with over 20 years of experience, by day and a podcaster by night.
I help organizations build accessible websites by offering talks about accessibility, workshops & trainings, accessibility reviews and developing strategies for developers and management.
If that sounds like you could use my help, let’s talk! 💬