Recommended to use this for projects as a starting point.

On the server (example.com) #

1. Create user on example.com, as which we (the git client) connects (push) to exmaple.com.

   sudo useradd -m -s /usr/bin/git-shell git
   

2. Add your ssh public key to the authorized_keys file of the created user:

   sudo -u git bash
   cd ~
   mkdir -p .ssh
   vim .ssh/authorized_keys
   # Paste your public key and save
   

3. Create a git bare repo for your project:

   mkdir testapp
   cd testapp
   git init --bare
   

4. Copy the post-receive script from this gist to the hooks dir of the created bare repo.

   vim testapp/hooks/post-receive
   #!/bin/bash
   DEPLOY_BRANCH="master"
   DEPLOY_ROOT="/var/www"
   UPDATE_CMD='cd "${DEPLOY_TO}" && git pull origin master
   RESTART_CMD='sudo systemctl restart apache
   chmod +x testapp/hooks/post-receive
   

5. Set ownership and permissions of the DEPLOY_ROOT directory:

   sudo chown root:git -R /var/www
   sudo chmod 775 /var/www
   

On the client #

1. Create a git repo and add our newly created remote:

   mkdir testapp
   cd testapp
   git init
   git remote add production git@example.com:~/testapp
   

2. Commit and push to production:

   $ vim Makefile
   $ # Paste contents of Makefile from this gist (as an example)
   $ git add .
   $ git commit -am "test commit"
   $ git push production master
   Counting objects: 12, done.
   Delta compression using up to 4 threads.
   Compressing objects: 100% (4/4), done.
   Writing objects: 100% (4/4), 432 bytes | 0 bytes/s, done.
   Total 4 (delta 2), reused 0 (delta 0)
   remote: +++++++++++++++++++++++ Welcome to 'example.com' (1.2.3.4) ++++++++++++++++++++++++
   remote: 
   remote: githook: I will deploy 'master' branch of the 'testapp' project to '/var/www/testapp'
   remote: 
   remote: githook: UPDATE (CMD: 'cd "${DEPLOY_TO}" && make "update"'):
   remote: Makefile: Doing UPDATE stuff like grunt, gulp, rake,...
   remote: git
   remote: /var/www/testapp
   remote: 
   remote: githook: RESTART (CMD: 'sudo systemctl restart "${PROJECT_NAME}.service" && sudo systemctl status "${PROJECT_NAME}.service"'):
   remote: testapp.service - node.js testapp
   remote:    Loaded: loaded (/etc/systemd/system/testapp.service; disabled)
   remote:    Active: inactive (dead) since Fri 2014-03-21 22:10:23 UTC; 10ms ago
   remote:   Process: 9265 ExecStart=/bin/bash -c sleep 3;echo "I am starting";echo "$(whoami)"; (code=exited, status=0/SUCCESS)
   remote: 
   remote: Mar 21 22:10:20 image systemd[1]: Starting nodejs testapp...
   remote: Mar 21 22:10:23 image testapp[9265]: I am starting
   remote: Mar 21 22:10:23 image testapp[9265]: www-data
   remote: Mar 21 22:10:23 image systemd[1]: Started node.js testapp.
   remote: 
   remote: ++++++++++++++++++++ See you soon at 'example.com' (1.2.3.4) ++++++++++++++++++++++
   To git@example.com:~/testapp
   08babc4..95cabcc  master -> master
   $
   

3. Repeat: Develop, commit and push. This is how we did setup git push deployment with automated build and service restart.