> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://www.truefoundry.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Set Up CI/CD
> Configure CI/CD pipelines for your services using GitHub Actions, GitLab CI/CD, Bitbucket, or Jenkins.
Setting up CI/CD enables your code to be deployed automatically whenever you push changes to your main branch. TrueFoundry integrates seamlessly with popular CI/CD systems like GitHub Actions, GitLab CI/CD, Bitbucket Pipelines, and Jenkins.
TrueFoundry doesn't provide CI capabilities - it integrates with external
CI/CD systems. The build process always happens on TrueFoundry to save cost
and time.
## How it works
TrueFoundry's CI/CD integration is designed for simplicity and efficiency:
* **Automatic builds**: All Docker images are built on TrueFoundry's infrastructure, which is 3-15X faster than traditional CI pipelines
* **Cost optimization**: No build costs in your CI pipeline - everything happens on TrueFoundry
* **Simple decision**: You only need to decide whether to keep the TrueFoundry YAML spec in your Git repository
* **Automatic deployment**: Every commit to your main branch triggers an automatic deployment
TrueFoundry can build images 3-15X faster than your CI pipeline. You can read
[this
blog](https://www.truefoundry.com/blog/enabling-3-15x-faster-docker-image-builds-with-truefoundry-on-kubernetes)
to learn more about the performance benefits.
## Key decision: YAML spec location
The only decision you need to make is whether to keep the TrueFoundry YAML spec in your Git repository:
**Keep YAML spec in Git** (Recommended)
* Full configuration versioning and tracking
* Complete control over service configuration
**Don't keep YAML spec in Git**
* Simpler setup and maintenance
* Configuration changes via TrueFoundry UI
If you keep the YAML spec in Git and deploy via CI/CD, avoid changing
configuration via the TrueFoundry UI. Any UI changes will be overwritten by
the Git configuration on the next deployment.
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## Setting up CI/CD
TrueFoundry provides a simple setup process that generates the appropriate CI/CD configuration based on your preferences.
This is the only decision you need to make. TrueFoundry will automatically generate
the appropriate CI/CD configuration based on your choice.
TrueFoundry will provide you with:
* API key generation instructions, click on the button to generate the API key and copy it.
* GitHub secrets configuration, add the API key to the GitHub secrets for the repository.
* Download the TrueFoundry specification file(if you have selected yes to keep the YAML spec in your Git repository)
* Copythe CI/CD workflow or action file and store it in the repository as written in the step based on your platform.
## Required Secrets
Make sure to configure these secrets in your CI/CD system:
| Secret Name | Description | Required For |
| -------------------------- | -------------------------------------- | ----------------------- |
| `TFY_API_KEY` | TrueFoundry API key for authentication | All deployments |
| `DOCKER_REGISTRY_USERNAME` | Docker registry username | Image-based deployments |
| `DOCKER_REGISTRY_PASSWORD` | Docker registry password/token | Image-based deployments |