A Low-Cost CI/CD Approach for Indie Apps
How to set up a zero-cost CI/CD pipeline for indie apps using Gitee + GitHub Actions.
Why CI/CD Matters Early
When developing an app, it’s important to think about CI/CD early. In the initial stage, we want to keep costs low, so we start with free solutions. Self-hosted options require servers and ongoing maintenance, which are not cheap or necessary at the beginning. A free cloud-based solution is a better fit and can be upgraded later if the project grows.
Free Options to Consider
There are several free options available:
| Service | Free Tier | Ecosystem |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub Actions | Unlimited for public repos | Excellent |
| GitLab CI/CD | 400 minutes/month | Good |
| Gitee Go | 500 minutes/month | Moderate |
From the perspective of free usage minutes, GitHub Actions is the strongest choice.
Why Gitee + GitHub
In China, accessing GitHub from local networks can be unstable, which is inconvenient for daily work. For everyday source code management, Gitee is more practical.
The solution: combine both platforms.
- Gitee for daily source code management (fast access)
- GitHub for CI/CD and release automation (generous free tier)
This setup is especially useful for publishing releases on a weekly or monthly basis.
CI/CD Pipeline Design
The pipeline works as follows:
Gitee repository → mirror push → GitHub repository → GitHub Actions → GitHub Release
The workflow is triggered by a tag push.
Workflow Configuration
on:
push:
tags:
- 'v*'
Release Command
git tag -a v1.0.0 -m "version 1.0"
git push origin v1.0.0
Because Gitee mirrors the tag to GitHub, the workflow is triggered automatically. The pipeline then builds, tests, and publishes the release package.
Workflow and Release Artifacts
The workflow process looks like this:
The published release packages are shown below:
You can also view the release directly here:
Benefits
- Zero cost: Both platforms offer generous free tiers for public repositories
- Low maintenance: No servers to manage, no Jenkins to upgrade
- Automated releases: One tag push triggers the entire pipeline
- Best of both worlds: Fast daily development + powerful CI/CD
- Scalable: Add more steps as the project grows
Summary
This approach keeps the initial setup simple and affordable while still providing a reliable release workflow. It is a practical solution for indie developers who want automation without a large upfront investment.
Start with the minimal setup — just automated builds and releases — then expand with testing, deployments, and other features as your project grows.