SSH Sync Action

Execute SSH commands and bidirectional file transfers via rsync and scp.

Features

• Execute SSH commands before and after data synchronization
• Bidirectional file transfer (upload and download)
• Support for both rsync and scp transfer methods
• Fine-grained control over each transfer method
• Secure authentication using password or SSH key
• Compatible with existing SSH/SCP actions interface
• Built on top of the well-tested appleboy/ssh-action for SSH execution

Usage

- name: Deploy and sync files
  uses: lexty/ssh-sync-action@v1
  with:
    host: ${{ secrets.REMOTE_HOST }}
    user: ${{ secrets.REMOTE_USER }}
    key: ${{ secrets.SSH_PRIVATE_KEY }}
    
    # Initial setup commands
    first_ssh: |
      mkdir -p /app/public
      systemctl stop myapp
    
    # Upload app code with rsync
    rsync_upload: |
      './dist/*' => /app/public/
      ./assets/ => /app/public/assets/
    
    # Download logs from the server
    scp_download: |
      /var/log/myapp/* => ./logs/
    
    # Finalize deployment
    last_ssh: |
      chown -R www-data:www-data /app
      systemctl start myapp

Inputs

Input	Description	Required	Default
host	SSH remote host	Yes
port	SSH remote port	No	22
user	SSH remote user	Yes
pass	SSH remote password	No
key	SSH private key as string	No
connect_timeout	Connection timeout to remote host	No	30s
first_ssh	Execute commands before syncing data	No
scp_upload	Upload from local to remote using scp	No
scp_download	Download from remote to local using scp	No
rsync_upload	Upload from local to remote using rsync	No
rsync_download	Download from remote to local using rsync	No
last_ssh	Execute commands after syncing data	No
scp_options	Additional scp command options	No	``
rsync_options	Additional rsync command options	No	-avz --delete
ssh_options	Additional SSH options	No	``

Path Syntax

All upload and download parameters use the following syntax:

source_path => destination_path

For multiple transfers, specify multiple lines:

path1 => destination1
path2 => destination2

rsync vs scp

Choose the best tool for your specific use case:

rsync advantages:

• Delta transfers (only transfers changed parts of files)
• Resume capability for interrupted transfers
• Preserves file attributes (permissions, timestamps, etc.)
• Efficient directory handling
• Powerful filtering options

scp advantages:

• More widely available on systems
• Simpler for basic use cases
• No need for rsync to be installed on the remote server

Examples

Using rsync for deployment

- name: Deploy with rsync
  uses: lexty/ssh-sync-action@v1
  with:
    host: ${{ secrets.REMOTE_HOST }}
    user: ${{ secrets.REMOTE_USER }}
    key: ${{ secrets.SSH_PRIVATE_KEY }}
    first_ssh: |
      mkdir -p /var/www/app
      systemctl stop myapp
    rsync_upload: |
      './dist/*' => /var/www/app/
      ./config/prod.conf => /var/www/app/config/
    rsync_options: '-avz --checksum --delete'
    last_ssh: |
      chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/app
      systemctl start myapp

Using SCP for sensitive files

- name: Transfer sensitive files
  uses: lexty/ssh-sync-action@v1
  with:
    host: ${{ secrets.REMOTE_HOST }}
    user: ${{ secrets.REMOTE_USER }}
    key: ${{ secrets.SSH_PRIVATE_KEY }}
    scp_upload: |
      './config/secrets.json' => /app/config/
    scp_options: '-r -q'

Collecting logs and reports

- name: Collect logs
  uses: lexty/ssh-sync-action@v1
  with:
    host: ${{ secrets.REMOTE_HOST }}
    user: ${{ secrets.REMOTE_USER }}
    key: ${{ secrets.SSH_PRIVATE_KEY }}
    scp_download: |
      /var/log/myapp/error.log => ./logs/
      /var/log/myapp/access.log => ./logs/
      /var/www/app/reports/* => ./reports/

Requirements

• For rsync: The remote server must have rsync installed
• For SSH key authentication: The private key must be provided via the key input
• For password authentication: The password must be provided via the pass input

Security

For sensitive information like SSH passwords or private keys, always use GitHub Secrets. Never commit these values directly in your workflow files.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

Changelog

All notable changes to this project will be documented in the CHANGELOG.md file.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.