how to automate deployment and content updates in jekyll with github actions

Why manual deployment slows you down after leaving WordPress

One of the key reasons people migrate from WordPress to Jekyll is the freedom from constant plugin updates and server maintenance. However, Jekyll requires a new kind of discipline—version control and build automation.

Without automation, you’ll be:

Pushing changes manually to GitHub
Building the site locally before commit
Running long build scripts for each update

With GitHub Actions, you can automate all of this.

What is GitHub Actions and why does it matter for Jekyll?

GitHub Actions is a CI/CD service built into GitHub. It allows you to run automated workflows when events like pushes, pull requests, or schedule triggers occur. For Jekyll, it can:

Build your site using the latest dependencies
Deploy your site to GitHub Pages automatically
Run validations or spellchecks
Backup your content to a separate repo or cloud storage

How to create a basic deployment workflow

Create a directory .github/workflows at the root of your Jekyll site and inside it add deploy.yml:

name: Deploy Jekyll site to GitHub Pages

on:
  push:
    branches:
      - main

jobs:
  build:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest

    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - name: Setup Ruby
        uses: ruby/setup-ruby@v1
        with:
          ruby-version: '3.2'
      - name: Install dependencies
        run: bundle install
      - name: Build site
        run: bundle exec jekyll build
      - name: Deploy to GitHub Pages
        uses: peaceiris/actions-gh-pages@v4
        with:
          github_token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
          publish_dir: ./_site

This builds and deploys your site every time you push to main.

How to schedule automatic content rebuilds

If your site uses data files that update externally (e.g. via API or scraped data), you can schedule a nightly rebuild:

on:
  schedule:
    - cron: '0 3 * * *' # every day at 3 AM UTC

This ensures your site stays fresh, even if content is injected automatically.

How to automate backups of your _posts and _data folders

To back up content to another repo:

Create a new private repository called jekyll-backups
Generate a Personal Access Token (PAT) and store it in your repo’s Secrets as BACKUP_PAT

Then add this step to your workflow:

      - name: Backup posts and data
        run: |
          mkdir backup
          cp -r _posts backup/
          cp -r _data backup/
          cd backup
          git init
          git config user.name "Backup Bot"
          git config user.email "backup@bot.com"
          git remote add origin https://x-access-token:${{ secrets.BACKUP_PAT }}@github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/jekyll-backups.git
          git add .
          git commit -m "Backup on $(date)"
          git push -f origin main

How to validate Jekyll builds before deployment

You can add build checks to catch issues before publishing:

      - name: Validate Jekyll build
        run: |
          bundle exec jekyll build --trace
          echo "Build successful"

Or add optional validations like checking for broken links using tools like html-proofer.

How to manage dependencies and avoid version mismatches

In Jekyll, you rely heavily on Ruby gems. Make sure your GitHub Actions environment matches your Gemfile.lock.

Commit Gemfile.lock to the repo
Pin Ruby version via .ruby-version file

Always match your local dev environment to GitHub Actions to avoid build errors.

How to optimize your workflow runtime

To reduce build time:

Cache your vendor/bundle directory

      - name: Cache Ruby gems
        uses: actions/cache@v4
        with:
          path: vendor/bundle
          key: ${{ runner.os }}-gems-${{ hashFiles('**/Gemfile.lock') }}

Also avoid unnecessary rebuilds by using conditional triggers:

on:
  push:
    paths:
      - '_posts/**'
      - '_data/**'
      - '**.html'

How to test the site automatically after every change

You can add test steps like linting or syntax checks using tools like markdownlint or yamllint. This helps you keep content quality high across team contributions.

How this replaces WordPress cron and plugin jobs

In WordPress, you might have used scheduled plugin jobs to:

Send newsletter digests
Publish future-dated posts
Check for plugin updates

With Jekyll + GitHub Actions, you regain all that control using:

Scheduled workflows for timing
Shell scripts or Ruby tasks for logic
GitHub Secrets for secure credentials

Conclusion

With GitHub Actions, your Jekyll site becomes fully automated—built, tested, deployed, and backed up without human intervention. You’ve not only moved away from WordPress but also stepped into a modern DevOps-style workflow tailored for static content.

Automation ensures:

Your team doesn’t waste time on manual build steps
Deployments are consistent and reliable
Your site remains as fast, secure, and up-to-date as it was on day one

This closes our case study series. You now have the tools and mindset to run a serious content platform on Jekyll—without the bloat of WordPress.

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