A Step-by-Step Guide to Setting Up CI/CD Using Render and GitHub

As modern software development accelerates, Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) have become critical pillars for delivering reliable, production-ready code quickly. At Watad Tech, we believe in simplifying DevOps practices so startups and enterprises alike can ship features faster with confidence.

In this article, we will set up a CI/CD pipeline. It might sound intimidating, but with the right tools, you can have your Node.js app building, testing, and deploying automatically every time you push to your main branch. In this guide, we will show you how to do it using GitHub Actions and Render, step by step.

📌 Why CI/CD?

A good Continuous Integration / Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipeline:

• Catches bugs before they reach production.

• Automates repetitive tasks.

• Gives you confidence that your code works every time you deploy.

🔧 CI/CD Pipeline Overview

This CI/CD pipeline is broken down into three key stages:

1. Build

Installs all required dependencies and prepares your app for testing and deployment.

2. Test

Runs automated tests (e.g., unit or integration tests) to validate that your code is clean, stable, and production-ready.

3. Deploy

Automatically triggers a new deployment to Render via a secure Deploy Hook after tests pass.

✅ What You’ll Need

Before you start, make sure you have:

• A Node.js project on GitHub.

• A Render account with your app set up as a Web Service.

• Basic familiarity with GitHub Actions.

🛠️ Let’s Set It Up!

1️⃣ Create Your Render Web Service

1. Fork the GitHub repo used in this tutorial. You can use any other repository, but forking this one will help with more alignment if you're following this guide.

   What is Forking the GitHub Repository?

   Forking creates a copy of the original repo under your GitHub account. This lets you modify and use the code independently.

   
   
   
   

   

2. Log in to Render using your GitHub account.

   

3. Use your GitHub username and password

   

4. Click New + → Web Service.

5. For the source code, select the repository you forked (or choose an alternative).

6. Use npm install as the build command and npm start as the start command.

7. Render offers a range of configurations, but you may choose the free instance type.

8. Deploy your service

9. As we can see in the logs, it deployed successfully.

2️⃣ Add the Render Deploy Hook as a GitHub Secret

A deploy hook lets you trigger deployments securely from GitHub Actions.

1. On the left menu bar on your Render project page, choose Settings.

2. Copy the URL under Deploy Hook. 

   

   
   

3. On your GitHub repository, go to → Settings → Secrets and Variables → Actions.

   

4. Click on New repository secret.

   

5. Use RENDER_DEPLOY_HOOK as the secret's name and the copied URL as the secret's value and click on Add secret!

   

3️⃣ Create Your Workflow File

1. Click on the Actions tab on your GitHub repository and make sure GitHub workflows are enabled.

   

2. In your repository, create .github/workflows/three-stage.yml with the following structure. You can copy the config from this link.

After you run the command you will be able to see this in your working directory.

This is the content of the three-stage.yml

2. Push to GitHub.

🔍 How to Check Your Deployment

• GitHub Actions: Go to your repository → Actions tab → see the status of your workflow.

• Render dashboard: Open your service → Events tab → see if your deploy hook triggered a new deployment.

  

• View your app: If you click on the app's public URL under the Events tab, you can see the game up and running.

  

🧩 Troubleshooting Tips

✅ Build errors? Double-check your npm install and build steps.

✅Deploy hook not working? Make sure your RENDER_DEPLOY_HOOK secret is correct and contains the full URL.

✅ Tests failing? Check your test logs in the Actions tab.

🎉 Wrap Up

And that’s it! Every push to your main branch will automatically:

1. Build your Node.js app.

2. Run tests to keep it healthy.

3. Deploy it live to Render.

No more manual deployments. More time to build amazing things. Setting up automated CI/CD workflows may seem complex at first but with GitHub Actions and Render, it's easier than ever to create a reliable pipeline. You’ll save time, stumble upon fewer bugs, and gain more control over your deployment process.

At Watad Tech, we’re always exploring new ways to simplify tech stacks for growing businesses. If you need help building or optimizing your DevOps processes, reach out to us today.