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GitHub Actions

What it is

GitHub Actions is the automation system built into GitHub. A workflow is a file in the repository describing what should happen when something occurs — a push, a pull request, a schedule — and the platform runs it on a machine it provides. The same mechanism covers continuous integration, releases, scheduled maintenance and routine chores, which is why it is often the first pipeline a team uses.

Why it matters

The pipeline lives beside the code, is reviewed like the code, and needs no separate server. For an open-source project or a small team that is a decisive advantage: no runner to patch, no credentials to distribute to a second system, and the checks appear on the pull request where the reviewer already is. The trade is a dependency on the host and its runners, and a pricing model that becomes significant on private repositories with heavy usage. Knowing where that trade stops being favourable is the same judgement as for any hosted service.

In this track

  1. Workflows, triggers and jobs (06-cloud-devops/15-github-actions/01-workflows-triggers-and-jobs) — the file’s structure and what causes it to run.
  2. Caching, secrets and deployments (06-cloud-devops/15-github-actions/02-caching-secrets-and-deployments) — making runs fast, keeping credentials safe and distinguishing a check from a release.

Prerequisites

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