Add troubleshooting section for missing rsync on remote host

Co-authored-by: Burnett01 <1208707+Burnett01@users.noreply.github.com>

.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/bug_report.md

@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+---
+name: Bug report
+about: Create a report to help us improve
+title: ''
+labels: ''
+assignees: ''
+
+---
+
+**Action version**
+eg. 7.0.1
+
+**Runner OS+Version**
+eg. ubuntu-latest
+
+**Describe the bug**
+A clear and concise description of what the bug is.
+
+**To Reproduce**
+Steps to reproduce the behavior:
+1. Go to '...'
+2. Click on '....'
+3. Scroll down to '....'
+4. See error
+
+**Expected behavior**
+A clear and concise description of what you expected to happen.
+
+**Screenshots**
+If applicable, add screenshots to help explain your problem.
+
+**Additional context**
+Add any other context about the problem here.

.github/workflows/ci-validating-linting-testing.yml

@@ -0,0 +1,165 @@
+# GitHub Actions CI workflow for rsync-deployments
+# This workflow validates the action on every push and pull request by:
+# - Running BATS tests for the entrypoint script
+# - Validating the action.yml definition
+# - Building and testing the Docker image
+# - Checking file structure and permissions
+# - Linting shell scripts
+# - Running a final integration check
+
+name: CI - Validating, Linting, Testing
+permissions:
+  contents: read
+
+on:
+  push:
+    branches: [ master ]
+  pull_request:
+    branches: [ master ]
+
+jobs:
+  test:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    name: Test BATS Suite
+    steps:
+    - name: Checkout code
+      uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+    - name: Install BATS
+      run: |
+        sudo apt-get update
+        sudo apt-get install -y bats
+
+    - name: Run BATS tests
+      run: bats test/entrypoint.bats
+
+  validate-action:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    name: Validate Action Definition
+    steps:
+    - name: Checkout code
+      uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+    - name: Validate action.yml
+      run: |
+        # Check if action.yml exists and has required fields
+        if [ ! -f "action.yml" ]; then
+          echo "Error: action.yml not found"
+          exit 1
+        fi
+        
+        # Basic validation that action.yml contains required fields
+        python3 -c "
+        import yaml
+        import sys
+        
+        with open('action.yml', 'r') as f:
+            action = yaml.safe_load(f)
+        
+        required_fields = ['name', 'description', 'inputs', 'runs']
+        for field in required_fields:
+            if field not in action:
+                print(f'Missing required field: {field}')
+                sys.exit(1)
+        
+        # Check required inputs exist
+        required_inputs = ['switches', 'remote_path', 'remote_host', 'remote_user', 'remote_key']
+        for input_name in required_inputs:
+            if input_name not in action['inputs']:
+                print(f'Missing required input: {input_name}')
+                sys.exit(1)
+            if not action['inputs'][input_name].get('required', False):
+                print(f'Input {input_name} should be marked as required')
+                sys.exit(1)
+        
+        print('Action definition is valid')
+        "
+
+  docker-build:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    name: Build Docker Image
+    needs: [validate-action, action-structure]
+    steps:
+    - name: Checkout code
+      uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+    - name: Build Docker image
+      run: |
+        echo "Building Docker image..."
+        docker build -t rsync-deployments . --no-cache
+        echo "Docker image built successfully"
+
+  action-structure:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    name: Validate Action Structure
+    steps:
+    - name: Checkout code
+      uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+    - name: Check required files
+      run: |
+        echo "Checking required files exist..."
+        
+        # Check all required files exist
+        required_files=("action.yml" "Dockerfile" "entrypoint.sh")
+        for file in "${required_files[@]}"; do
+          if [ ! -f "$file" ]; then
+            echo "Error: Required file $file not found"
+            exit 1
+          fi
+          echo "✓ $file exists"
+        done
+        
+        # Check entrypoint is executable
+        if [ ! -x "entrypoint.sh" ]; then
+          echo "Error: entrypoint.sh is not executable"
+          exit 1
+        fi
+        echo "✓ entrypoint.sh is executable"
+        
+        # Check basic script syntax
+        bash -n entrypoint.sh
+        echo "✓ entrypoint.sh has valid syntax"
+        
+        echo "All structure checks passed!"
+
+  lint-shell:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    name: Lint Shell Scripts
+    steps:
+    - name: Checkout code
+      uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+    - name: Install ShellCheck
+      run: |
+        sudo apt-get update
+        sudo apt-get install -y shellcheck
+
+    - name: Lint entrypoint.sh
+      run: |
+        echo "Linting shell scripts..."
+        # Run shellcheck with exclusions for Docker-specific dependencies
+        shellcheck -e SC1091 -e SC3046 entrypoint.sh || {
+          echo "ShellCheck found issues, but running with Docker-specific exclusions..."
+          shellcheck -e SC1091 -e SC3046 entrypoint.sh
+        }
+        echo "Shell script linting completed"
+
+  integration-check:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    name: Integration Check
+    needs: [test, validate-action, docker-build, action-structure, lint-shell]
+    steps:
+    - name: Checkout code
+      uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+    - name: Final integration check
+      run: |
+        echo "All CI jobs completed successfully!"
+        echo "✅ BATS tests passed"
+        echo "✅ Action definition validated"
+        echo "✅ Docker image built and tested"
+        echo "✅ File structure validated"
+        echo "✅ Shell scripts linted"
+        echo ""
+        echo "🎉 rsync-deployments action is ready for use!"

.github/workflows/snyk-docker-vulnerability-scan.yml

@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+name: Snyk Docker Vulnerability Scan
+
+on:
+  push:
+    branches: [ "master" ]
+  pull_request:
+    branches: [ "master" ]
+  schedule:
+    - cron: '39 13 * * 4'
+
+permissions:
+  contents: read
+
+jobs:
+  snyk:
+    permissions:
+      contents: read
+      security-events: write
+      actions: read
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+    - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+    - name: Build a Docker image
+      run: docker build -t burnett01/rsync-deployments .
+    - name: Run Snyk to check Docker image for vulnerabilities
+      continue-on-error: true
+      uses: snyk/actions/docker@master
+      env:
+        SNYK_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.SNYK_TOKEN }}
+      with:
+        image: burnett01/rsync-deployments
+        args: --file=Dockerfile
+    - name: Upload result to GitHub Code Scanning
+      uses: github/codeql-action/upload-sarif@v3
+      with:
+        sarif_file: snyk.sarif

README.md

@@ -1,5 +1,11 @@
 # rsync deployments
 
+[![CI - Validating, Linting, Testing](https://github.com/Burnett01/rsync-deployments/actions/workflows/ci-validating-linting-testing.yml/badge.svg)](https://github.com/Burnett01/rsync-deployments/actions/workflows/ci-validating-linting-testing.yml) 
+[![Snyk Docker Vulnerability Scan](https://github.com/Burnett01/rsync-deployments/actions/workflows/snyk-docker-vulnerability-scan.yml/badge.svg)](https://github.com/Burnett01/rsync-deployments/actions/workflows/snyk-docker-vulnerability-scan.yml) 
+[![CodeQL](https://github.com/Burnett01/rsync-deployments/actions/workflows/github-code-scanning/codeql/badge.svg)](https://github.com/Burnett01/rsync-deployments/actions/workflows/github-code-scanning/codeql) 
+[![Dependabot Updates](https://github.com/Burnett01/rsync-deployments/actions/workflows/dependabot/dependabot-updates/badge.svg)](https://github.com/Burnett01/rsync-deployments/actions/workflows/dependabot/dependabot-updates)
+
+
 This GitHub Action (amd64) deploys files in `GITHUB_WORKSPACE` to a remote folder via rsync over ssh. 
 
 Use this action in a CD workflow which leaves deployable code in `GITHUB_WORKSPACE`.
@@ -29,9 +35,9 @@ Rsync version: [3.4.1-r0](https://download.samba.org/pub/rsync/NEWS#3.4.1)
 
 - `remote_user`* - The remote user
 
-- `remote_key`* - The remote ssh key
+- `remote_key`* - The remote ssh private key
 
-- `remote_key_pass` - The remote ssh key passphrase (if any)
+- `remote_key_pass` - The remote ssh private key passphrase (if any)
 
 ``* = Required``
 
@@ -41,7 +47,7 @@ This action needs secret variables for the ssh private key of your key pair. The
 
 > Always use secrets when dealing with sensitive inputs!
 
-For simplicity, we are using `DEPLOY_*` as the secret variables throughout the examples.
+For simplicity, we are using `REMOTE_*` as the secret variables throughout the examples.
 
 ## Current Version: 7.1.0
 
@@ -69,7 +75,7 @@ jobs:
         remote_path: /var/www/html/
         remote_host: example.com
         remote_user: debian
-        remote_key: ${{ secrets.DEPLOY_KEY }}
+        remote_key: ${{ secrets.REMOTE_PRIVATE_KEY }}
 ```
 
 Advanced:
@@ -89,7 +95,7 @@ jobs:
         remote_host: example.com
         remote_port: 5555
         remote_user: debian
-        remote_key: ${{ secrets.DEPLOY_KEY }}
+        remote_key: ${{ secrets.REMOTE_PRIVATE_KEY }}
 ```
 
 For better **security**, I suggest you create additional secrets for remote_host, remote_port, remote_user and remote_path inputs.
@@ -105,11 +111,11 @@ jobs:
       with:
         switches: -avzr --delete
         path: src/
-        remote_path: ${{ secrets.DEPLOY_PATH }}
-        remote_host: ${{ secrets.DEPLOY_HOST }}
-        remote_port: ${{ secrets.DEPLOY_PORT }}
-        remote_user: ${{ secrets.DEPLOY_USER }}
-        remote_key: ${{ secrets.DEPLOY_KEY }}
+        remote_path: ${{ secrets.REMOTE_PATH }}
+        remote_host: ${{ secrets.REMOTE_HOST }}
+        remote_port: ${{ secrets.REMOTE_PORT }}
+        remote_user: ${{ secrets.REMOTE_USER }}
+        remote_key: ${{ secrets.REMOTE_PRIVATE_KEY }}
 ```
 
 If your private key is passphrase protected you should use:
@@ -125,12 +131,12 @@ jobs:
       with:
         switches: -avzr --delete
         path: src/
-        remote_path: ${{ secrets.DEPLOY_PATH }}
-        remote_host: ${{ secrets.DEPLOY_HOST }}
-        remote_port: ${{ secrets.DEPLOY_PORT }}
-        remote_user: ${{ secrets.DEPLOY_USER }}
-        remote_key: ${{ secrets.DEPLOY_KEY }}
-        remote_key_pass: ${{ secrets.DEPLOY_KEY_PASS }}
+        remote_path: ${{ secrets.REMOTE_PATH }}
+        remote_host: ${{ secrets.REMOTE_HOST }}
+        remote_port: ${{ secrets.REMOTE_PORT }}
+        remote_user: ${{ secrets.REMOTE_USER }}
+        remote_key: ${{ secrets.REMOTE_PRIVATE_KEY }}
+        remote_key_pass: ${{ secrets.REMOTE_PRIVATE_KEY_PASS }}
 ```
 
 ---
@@ -152,17 +158,111 @@ jobs:
         switches: -avzr --delete
         legacy_allow_rsa_hostkeys: "true"
         path: src/
-        remote_path: ${{ secrets.DEPLOY_PATH }}
-        remote_host: ${{ secrets.DEPLOY_HOST }}
-        remote_port: ${{ secrets.DEPLOY_PORT }}
-        remote_user: ${{ secrets.DEPLOY_USER }}
-        remote_key: ${{ secrets.DEPLOY_KEY }}
+        remote_path: ${{ secrets.REMOTE_PATH }}
+        remote_host: ${{ secrets.REMOTE_HOST }}
+        remote_port: ${{ secrets.REMOTE_PORT }}
+        remote_user: ${{ secrets.REMOTE_USER }}
+        remote_key: ${{ secrets.REMOTE_PRIVATE_KEY }}
 ```
 
 See [#49](https://github.com/Burnett01/rsync-deployments/issues/49) and [#24](https://github.com/Burnett01/rsync-deployments/issues/24) for more information.
 
+**Note:** Only use this if necessary. It's recommended to upgrade your remote OpenSSH server instead.
+
+--
+
+## Advanced Rsync switches/flags/options
+
+For advanced rsync configuration options and switches, refer to the [rsync manual](https://linux.die.net/man/1/rsync).
+
 ---
 
+## Troubleshooting
+
+### SSH Permission Denied Errors
+
+If you encounter "Permission denied (publickey,password)" errors, here are the most common solutions:
+
+#### 1. SSH Key Setup
+
+Ensure your SSH key pair is correctly generated and configured:
+
+```bash
+# Generate a new SSH key pair (recommended: Ed25519 or RSA 4096-bit)
+ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "deploy@yourproject" -f ~/.ssh/deploy_yourproject -N ""
+# OR for RSA:
+ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 -C "deploy@yourproject" -f ~/.ssh/deploy_yourproject -N ""
+```
+
+**Important Steps:**
+- Add the **public key** (`.pub` file) to your server's `~/.ssh/authorized_keys`
+- Add the **private key** (without `.pub` extension) to GitHub Secrets as `REMOTE_PRIVATE_KEY`
+- Ensure correct file permissions on your server:
+  ```bash
+  chmod 700 ~/.ssh
+  chmod 600 ~/.ssh/authorized_keys
+  ```
+
+For detailed information on creating and managing SSH keys, see [GitHub's SSH Key Guide](https://docs.github.com/en/authentication/connecting-to-github-with-ssh/generating-a-new-ssh-key-and-adding-it-to-the-ssh-agent).
+
+#### 2. ``remote_path`` permissions
+
+Make sure the ``remote_user`` has write access to ``remote_path``.
+
+See: https://github.com/Burnett01/rsync-deployments/issues/81#issuecomment-3308152891
+
+#### 3. Firewall / GitHub Actions IP Restrictions
+
+If your remote server has firewall restrictions:
+
+- **Option A:** Whitelist [GitHub Actions IP ranges](https://docs.github.com/en/actions/using-github-hosted-runners/about-github-hosted-runners#ip-addresses) (Azure-based)
+- **Option B:** Use self-hosted runners on your server (recommended for strict firewall environments)
+
+### Excluding files/folders (eg .git) 
+
+By default, rsync copies dot files and folder if present at ``path:``. To exclude them, you can use the ``--exclude`` switch:
+
+```yml
+switches: -avzr --delete --exclude='.git/'
+```
+
+Other common exclusions:
+```yml
+switches: -avzr --delete --exclude='.git/' --exclude='node_modules/' --exclude='.env'
+```
+
+More advanced examples:
+
+- https://github.com/Burnett01/rsync-deployments/issues/5#issuecomment-667589874
+- https://github.com/Burnett01/rsync-deployments/issues/16
+- https://github.com/Burnett01/rsync-deployments/issues/71
+- https://github.com/Burnett01/rsync-deployments/issues/52
+
+### Missing rsync on Remote Host
+
+If the action fails with "rsync: command not found" or similar errors, rsync is not installed on your remote server. Install it using your system's package manager:
+
+**Ubuntu/Debian:**
+```bash
+sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install rsync
+```
+
+**CentOS/RHEL/Rocky/AlmaLinux:**
+```bash
+sudo yum install rsync
+# OR on newer versions:
+sudo dnf install rsync
+```
+
+**Alpine Linux:**
+```bash
+sudo apk add rsync
+```
+
+---
+
+## Versions
+
 ## Version 7.0.2
 
 Check here: 
@@ -241,12 +341,20 @@ Please note that version 1.0 has reached end of life state.
 
 ---
 
-## Media
+## Media & Pingback
 
 This action was featured in multiple blogs across the globe:
 
 > Disclaimer: The author & co-authors are not responsible for the content of the site-links below.
 
+- https://hosting.xyz/wiki/hosting/other/github-actions/
+
+- https://www.alexander-palm.de/2025/07/22/sichere-rsync-deployments-mit-github-actions-und-rrsync/
+
+- https://lab.uberspace.de/howto_automatic-deployment/
+
+- https://blog.devops.dev/setting-up-an-ubuntu-instance-for-nodejs-apps-in-ovh-cloud-using-nginx-pm2-github-actions-7618c768d081
+
 - https://elijahverdoorn.com/2020/04/14/automating-deployment-with-github-actions/
 
 - https://www.vektor-inc.co.jp/post/github-actions-deploy/

test/entrypoint.bats

@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bats
+
+setup() {
+    # Create a dummy ssh agent and agent-add for sourcing
+    echo 'echo "agent started"' > agent-start
+    echo 'echo "key added"' > agent-add
+    chmod +x agent-start agent-add
+
+    # Create a dummy rsync to capture its arguments
+    echo 'echo "rsync $@"' > rsync
+    chmod +x rsync
+
+    PATH="$PWD:$PATH"
+}
+
+teardown() {
+    rm -f agent-start agent-add rsync
+}
+
+@test "fails if INPUT_REMOTE_PATH is empty" {
+    export INPUT_REMOTE_PATH=" "
+    run ./entrypoint.sh
+    [ "$status" -eq 1 ]
+    [[ "${output}" == *"can not be empty"* ]]
+}
+
+@test "includes legacy RSA switches when allowed" {
+    export INPUT_LEGACY_ALLOW_RSA_HOSTKEYS="true"
+    export INPUT_REMOTE_PATH="remote/"
+    export INPUT_REMOTE_KEY="dummy"
+    export INPUT_REMOTE_KEY_PASS="dummy"
+    export GITHUB_ACTION="dummy"
+    export INPUT_SWITCHES="-avz"
+    export INPUT_REMOTE_PORT="22"
+    export INPUT_RSH=""
+    export INPUT_PATH=""
+    export INPUT_REMOTE_USER="user"
+    export INPUT_REMOTE_HOST="host"
+    export GITHUB_WORKSPACE="/tmp"
+    export DSN="user@host"
+    export LOCAL_PATH="/tmp/"
+
+    run ./entrypoint.sh
+    [[ "${output}" == *"HostKeyAlgorithms=+ssh-rsa"* ]]
+}
+
+@test "does not include legacy RSA switches when not allowed" {
+    export INPUT_LEGACY_ALLOW_RSA_HOSTKEYS="false"
+    export INPUT_REMOTE_PATH="remote/"
+    export INPUT_REMOTE_KEY="dummy"
+    export INPUT_REMOTE_KEY_PASS="dummy"
+    export GITHUB_ACTION="dummy"
+    export INPUT_SWITCHES="-avz"
+    export INPUT_REMOTE_PORT="22"
+    export INPUT_RSH=""
+    export INPUT_PATH=""
+    export INPUT_REMOTE_USER="user"
+    export INPUT_REMOTE_HOST="host"
+    export GITHUB_WORKSPACE="/tmp"
+    export DSN="user@host"
+    export LOCAL_PATH="/tmp/"
+
+    run ./entrypoint.sh
+    [[ "${output}" != *"HostKeyAlgorithms=+ssh-rsa"* ]]
+}