🧠 What is CI/CD?

Setting up a solid CI/CD pipeline is one of the most impactful steps in delivering reliable software. If you’re working with Go (Golang) and deploying using Docker Compose, GitHub Actions offers a robust, free, and easy-to-use CI/CD platform.

In this blog, I’ll walk you through setting up a real-world CI pipeline for a Go project using my open-source project GoTaskify as an example.

🧠 Why CI/CD for Go?

With Go’s simplicity and GitHub Actions’ power, you can:

Automatically test code on every push or PR
Build and run Docker containers in CI
Measure test coverage and report to Codecov
Ensure a clean and repeatable deployment process

🗂️ Folder Structure for GitHub Actions

my-go-project/
├── .github/
│   └── workflows/
│       └── ci.yml         # GitHub Actions Workflow
├── go.mod
├── go.sum
├── main.go
└── handler/
    └── task.go

🛠️ Writing Your First GitHub Actions CI Pipeline

name: GoTaskify CI

on:
  push:
    branches: [main]
  pull_request:
    branches: [main]

jobs:
  build-test:
    name: Build, Deploy, and Test
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest

    steps:
      - name: ⬇️ Checkout repository
        uses: actions/checkout@v3

      - name: 🏗 Set up Go 1.24.1
        uses: actions/setup-go@v5
        with:
          go-version: '1.24.1'

      - name: 📥 Install dependencies
        run: go mod tidy

      - name: 🐳 Install Docker Compose
        run: sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install -y docker-compose

      - name: 🐳 Build and deploy with Docker Compose
        run: docker-compose up --build -d

      - name: ✅ Run Go tests (unit/integration)
        run: go test ./test/...

      - name: 🧪 Run tests with coverage
        run: go test -coverprofile=coverage.out ./...

      - name: 📤 Upload to Codecov
        uses: codecov/codecov-action@v5
        with:
          files: coverage.out
          fail_ci_if_error: true

      - name: 🧹 Shut down Docker
        run: docker-compose down

🔍 Step-by-Step Breakdown

Step	Description
Checkout repository	Clones your code into the GitHub Actions runner
Set up Go	Installs Go version 1.24.1
Install dependencies	Runs go mod tidy to fetch and clean dependencies
Install Docker Compose	Ensures docker-compose is available for the job
Build and Deploy	Spins up your app and services using Docker Compose
Run Go Tests	Executes unit/integration tests inside /test/ directory
Coverage	Generates test coverage report
Upload to Codecov	Sends coverage report to Codecov for tracking
Shutdown Docker	Gracefully tears down containers post-test

In the GoTaskify project, this pipeline ensures that every pull request is tested, verified, and production-ready — all automatically.

🙌 About the Author

Sidharth Chauhan

Backend Developer | DevOps Learner

🌐 GitHub | 💼 LinkedIn

🚀 A Complete Guide to CI/CD for Go Projects using GitHub Actions