GitHub Actions

Github Actions enables us to create custom software development lifecycle workflows directly in the Github repository.

It is a platform to automate developer (any users) workflows.

How GitHub Actions automate workflows?

• When something happens in or to the repository.In GitHub these are know as GitHub events such as Pull Requests, Issue created, New Contributers, etc..
• Listen to these events and trigger workflow. Automatic actions are executed in response.

Some examples of workflows:

• Running tests, linting and other tasks whenever something happens to the repository.

Most common workflow includes CI/CD pipelines.

Note

Commit code --> Test --> Build --> Push --> Deploy

Why use GitHub Actions as a CI/CD tool?

• use same tool instead of third-party integration if the code already exists in GitHub.
• setting up pipelines are easy.
• developers focused.

Syntax used for GitHub Actions

YAML file is used for writing the configuration file.

• name: Displayed on repository's action page (optional).
• on: Name of GitHub event that triggers the workflow.
• jobs: One or more jobs can be written. Groups a set of actions which run in a sequence of tasks (steps).
• uses: Selects the action.