Auto-update blog content from Obsidian: 2025-05-02 21:39:25
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Gitea Actions
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@ -4,87 +4,188 @@ date: 2025-05-02
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draft: true
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tags:
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---
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---
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I always wanted to share my own experiences to give others idea or help them on their projects, but I didn't want to maintain the con
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I always wanted to share my own experiences to give others ideas or help them on their projects. I'm constantly tinkering in my homelab, trying new tools and workflows. Instead of keeping all these experiments in private notes, I decided to create a blog where I can document and publish them easily. I wanted the entire process to be automated, self-hosted, and integrated into the tools I already use daily.
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## 🧠 Goals
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## 🔧 Tools
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### Obsidian
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- Write blog posts in my [Obsidian](https://obsidian.md) vault
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Before I was using Notion, but some months ago I switched to [Obsidian](https://obsidian.md/). It's a markdown-based note-taking app that stores everything locally, which gives me more flexibility and control. To sync my notes between devices, I use the [Obsidian Git plugin](https://github.com/denolehov/obsidian-git), which commits changes to a Git repository hosted on my self-hosted Gitea instance.
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- Automatically detect changes in the `Blog/` folder
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- Sync changes to a separate **blog repository**
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- Let the blog repository handle **site generation and deployment**
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- Use Hugo as the static site generator, with version updates handled automatically
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---
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This setup not only allows for versioned backups of all my notes but also opens the door to automation.
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## 🔁 Workflow Overview
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### Gitea
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Here's the flow:
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[Gitea](https://gitea.io/) is a self-hosted Git service similar to GitHub, but lightweight and easy to maintain. I host my personal repositories there, including my Obsidian vault and my blog.
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1. **Edit Blog Content** in the `Blog/` folder of my Obsidian vault.
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Gitea now supports [Gitea Actions](https://docs.gitea.com/usage/actions/overview), a CI/CD pipeline mechanism compatible with GitHub Actions syntax.
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2. **Obsidian Repo Workflow** (via Gitea Actions):
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- Detects changes in the `Blog/` folder.
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- Clones the blog repository using a secure token.
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- Syncs content from the Obsidian vault to the blog repository.
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- Commits and pushes changes.
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3. **Blog Repo Workflow** (also using Gitea Actions):
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- Pulls the latest Hugo release version.
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- Compares it with the current version.
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- Downloads it if necessary.
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- Builds the blog using the new version.
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- If the build fails, tries the previous version.
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- Pushes the updated static site to the target branch (e.g., `gh-pages` or `public`)
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---
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To run those workflows, I installed a [Gitea runner](https://gitea.com/gitea/act_runner) on my server, allowing me to create an automated workflow triggered when I update content in my notes, which then builds and deploys my blog.
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## ⚙️ Key Implementation Details
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### Hugo
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### 🔐 Secure Token Usage
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[Hugo](https://gohugo.io/) is a fast and flexible static site generator written in Go. It’s perfect for generating content from Markdown files. Hugo is highly customizable, supports themes, and can generate a complete website in seconds. It’s ideal for a blog based on Obsidian notes, and it works beautifully in CI/CD pipelines due to its speed and simplicity.
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A **Gitea secret** is used to securely clone the blog repository. In the Obsidian repo workflow:
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## 🔁 Workflow
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env:
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The idea is simple:
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TOKEN: ${{ secrets.BLOG_DEPLOY_TOKEN }}
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1. I write blog content in my Obsidian vault, under a specific `Blog` folder.
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2. When I push updates to that folder, a first Gitea Action is triggered.
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3. The first action syncs the updated blog content to a separate [blog repository](https://git.vezpi.me/Vezpi/blog).
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4. In the blog repository, another Gitea Action is triggered.
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5. The second Gitea Action generates the static web pages while upgrading Hugo if needed
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6. The blog is now updated.
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This way, I never need to manually copy files or trigger deployments. Everything flows from writing markdown in Obsidian to having a fully deployed website.
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## ⚙️Implementation
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### Step 1: Obsidian Vault Setup
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In my Obsidian vault, I created a `Blog` folder that contains my blog posts in Markdown. Each post includes Hugo frontmatter (`title`, `date`, `draft`, etc.). The Git plugin is configured to commit and push automatically when I make changes to the Gitea repository.
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### Step 2: Spin up Gitea Runner
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The Obsidian vault is a private Git repository self-hosted in Gitea. I use docker compose to run this instance, to enable the Gitea Actions, I added the Gitea runner in the stack
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```yaml
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runner:
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image: gitea/act_runner:latest
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container_name: gitea_runner
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restart: on-failure
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environment:
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- GITEA_INSTANCE_URL=https://git.vezpi.me
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- GITEA_RUNNER_REGISTRATION_TOKEN=${GITEA_RUNNER_REGISTRATION_TOKEN}$
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- GITEA_RUNNER_NAME=self-hosted
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- GITEA_RUNNER_LABELS=ubuntu:docker://node:lts,alpine:docker://node:lts-alpine
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- CONFIG_FILE=/data/config.yml
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volumes:
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- /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock
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- /appli/data/gitea/runner:/data
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- /appli:/appli
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networks:
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- backend
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depends_on:
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- server
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```
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The `config.yml` only contains the allowed volume to bind in the containers
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```yaml
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container:
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valid_volumes:
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- /appli*
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```
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The runner appears in the `Administration Area`, under `Actions` > `Runners`. To obtain the registration token, click on the `Create new Runner` button
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![[Pasted image 20250502230954.png]]
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### Step 3: Set up Gitea Actions for Obsidian Repository
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First I enabled the Gitea Actions, this is disabled by default, tick the box `Enable Repository Actions` in the settings for that repository
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I created a new PAT (Personal Access Token) with RW permission on the repositories
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![[Pasted image 20250501235521.png]]
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I added this token as secret `REPO_TOKEN` in the repository
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![[Pasted image 20250501235427.png]]
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I needed to create the workflow that will spin-up a container and do the following:
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- When I push new/updated files in the `Blog` folder
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- Install `rsync`
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- Checkout the current repository (Obsidian vault)
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- Clone the blog repository
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- Transfer blog content from Obsidian
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- Commit the change to the blog repository
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`.gitea/workflows/sync_blog.yml`
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```yaml
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name: Synchronize content with the blog repo
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on:
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push:
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paths:
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- 'Blog/**'
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jobs:
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Sync:
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runs-on: ubuntu
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steps:
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- name: Install prerequisites
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run: apt update && apt install -y rsync
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- name: Check out repository
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uses: actions/checkout@v4
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- name: Clone the blog repository
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run: git clone https://${{ secrets.REPO_TOKEN }}@git.vezpi.me/Vezpi/blog.git
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- name: Transfer blog content from Obsidian
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run: rsync -av --delete Blog/ blog/content
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- name: Commit the change to the blog repository
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run: |
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run: |
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git clone https://${TOKEN}@git.example.com/user/blog.git /appli/data/blog
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cd blog
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git config --global user.name "Gitea Actions"
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git config --global user.email "actions@local"
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git config --global --add safe.directory /appli/data/blog
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git add .
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git commit -m "Auto-update blog content from Obsidian: $(date '+%F %T')" || echo "Nothing to commit"
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git push -u origin main
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```
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This avoids exposing any credentials in code or logs.
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### Step 3: Gitea Actions for Blog Repository
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### 📦 Hugo Version Check
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The blog repository contains the full Hugo site, including the synced content and theme.
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The workflow checks for the latest Hugo release from GitHub:
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Its workflow:
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- Install jq
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- Checkout the blog repository
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- Check if the Hugo version is up-to-date. If not, it downloads the latest release and replaces the old binary.
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- Build the static website using Hugo.
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latest_version=$(curl -s https://api.github.com/repos/gohugoio/hugo/releases/latest | jq -r .tag_name)
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`.gitea/workflows/deploy_blog.yml`
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```yaml
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name: Deploy
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on: [push]
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jobs:
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Deploy:
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runs-on: ubuntu
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env:
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BLOG_FOLDER: /blog
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container:
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volumes:
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- /appli/data/blog:/blog
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steps:
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- name: Install prerequisites
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run: apt update && apt install -y jq
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If it's newer than the currently used version, it downloads and installs it in `/appli/data/blog/bin`.
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- name: Check out repository
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run: |
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cd ${BLOG_FOLDER}
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git config --global user.name "Gitea Actions"
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git config --global user.email "actions@local"
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git config --global --add safe.directory ${BLOG_FOLDER}
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git pull
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### 🔄 Sync from Obsidian to Blog Repo
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- name: Get current Hugo version
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run: echo "current_version=$(${BLOG_FOLDER}/bin/hugo version | grep -oE 'v[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+')" | tee -a $GITEA_ENV
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Using `rsync -ah --delete` ensures the content in `/Blog` is mirrored properly:
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- name: Verify latest Hugo version
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run: echo "latest_version=$(curl -s https://api.github.com/repos/gohugoio/hugo/releases/latest | jq -r .tag_name)" | tee -a $GITEA_ENV
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rsync -ah --delete Blog/ /appli/data/blog/content/
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- name: Download latest Hugo version
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if: env.current_version != env.latest_version
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run: |
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curl -L https://github.com/gohugoio/hugo/releases/download/$latest_version/hugo_extended_${latest_version#v}_Linux-64bit.tar.gz -o hugo.tar.gz
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tar -xzvf hugo.tar.gz -C ${BLOG_FOLDER}/bin/
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### 🧪 Fallback on Hugo Failure
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- name: Generate the static files with Hugo
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run: |
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rm -f ${BLOG_FOLDER}/content/posts/template.md
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${BLOG_FOLDER}/bin/hugo -D -b https://blog-dev.vezpi.me -s ${BLOG_FOLDER} -d ${BLOG_FOLDER}/private
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${BLOG_FOLDER}/bin/hugo -s ${BLOG_FOLDER} -d ${BLOG_FOLDER}/public
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If building the site with the new version fails, the old binary is used as a fallback, ensuring the site doesn't break unexpectedly.
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```
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---
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## 🚀 Results
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## 🚀 Results
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This setup gives me:
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This workflow gives me the best of both worlds: I can focus on writing in Obsidian, and my infrastructure takes care of the rest — from syncing and building to publishing the blog automatically.
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- A **clean separation** between content editing (Obsidian) and publishing (Blog repo).
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- Automated static site builds without needing GitHub Actions or external CI.
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- Full control over the Hugo version, testing, and rollback.
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---
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## 📍 Next Steps
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- Add preview and validation steps before committing
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- Monitor Hugo releases for breaking changes
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- Expand workflows to manage themes and assets
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---
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If you're self-hosting Gitea and want to build your own blog workflow, I hope this gives you a solid starting point. Feel free to reach out with questions!
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