Setting Up Your First Workflow with GitHub Actions

Introduction

GitHub Actions is a powerful tool that allows you to automate your software development workflows directly in your GitHub repository. With GitHub Actions, you can build, test, and deploy your code right from GitHub, enabling continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD).

Key Concepts

Workflow

A workflow is a configurable automated process made up of one or more jobs. Workflows are defined in a YAML file located in the `.github/workflows` directory of your repository.

Job

A job is a set of steps that execute on the same runner. Each job runs in a fresh instance of the virtual environment.

Step

A step is an individual task that can run commands or actions. It is a single command or a call to an action.

Action

An action is a reusable unit of code that can be used in workflows. You can create your own actions, or use actions shared by the GitHub community.

Step-by-Step Setup

Follow these steps to set up your first GitHub Actions workflow:

Create a new GitHub repository or navigate to an existing one.

In your repository, create a directory for workflows:

mkdir -p .github/workflows

Create a new YAML file for your workflow:

touch .github/workflows/ci.yml

Add the following content to the `ci.yml` file:

name: CI

on:
  push:
    branches: [ main ]
  pull_request:
    branches: [ main ]

jobs:
  build:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Checkout code
        uses: actions/checkout@v2

      - name: Set up Node.js
        uses: actions/setup-node@v2
        with:
          node-version: '14'

      - name: Install dependencies
        run: npm install

      - name: Run tests
        run: npm test

Commit and push your changes to GitHub:

git add .github/workflows/ci.yml
git commit -m "Add CI workflow"
git push origin main

Visit the "Actions" tab in your GitHub repository to see your workflow in action!

Note: Ensure that your repository has a `package.json` file with defined scripts for the `npm install` and `npm test` commands.

Best Practices

Keep workflows simple and modular. Break down complex workflows into smaller jobs and actions.
Use caching to speed up workflow execution, especially for dependencies.
Use secrets for sensitive information like API keys and passwords.
Regularly review and update your workflows to utilize new features and improvements in GitHub Actions.

FAQ

What is a runner in GitHub Actions?

A runner is a server that runs your workflows when triggered. GitHub provides hosted runners, or you can host your own runners.

Can I use GitHub Actions for private repositories?

Yes, GitHub Actions is available for both public and private repositories, but usage limits may apply based on your GitHub plan.

How can I debug a failing workflow?

You can view the logs of each step in the GitHub Actions UI, which can help you identify where the failure occurred.

Workflow Flowchart


        graph TD;
            A[Start] --> B{Trigger event?};
            B -- Yes --> C[Run workflow];
            B -- No --> D[End];
            C --> E[Execute jobs];
            E --> F[Finish];