GitHub Actions 101 introduces GitHub Actions as an integrated CI/CD workflow tool for automating software development processes. GitHub Actions allows for event-driven automation of workflows using Actions, which are portable building blocks. It provides features like publishing artifacts, integration with services like Azure, and tools for creating, distributing, and using custom Actions. The document demonstrates GitHub Actions through examples and provides resources for learning more.

1. GitHub Actions 101
The Future of Workflow Automation Is Now

2. Nico Meisenzahl
• Senior Cloud & DevOps Consultant at white duck
• Microsoft MVP, GitLab Hero & Docker Community
Leader
• Container, Kubernetes, Cloud-Native & DevOps
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Phone: +49 8031 230159 0
Email: nico.meisenzahl@whiteduck.de
Twitter: @nmeisenzahl
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicomeisenzahl
Blog: https://meisenzahl.org

3. Integrated CI/CD workflows
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4. Event and schedule driven
• GitHub events
• webhooks
• scheduled
• manual
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5. Community-powered
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6. Easy to use
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7. Workflows
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Workflow - your pipeline
containing procedure

8. A job
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Job - a set of procedures
that execute on the same
runner

9. A step
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Step - is an individual
task that can run
commands
(Action or Shell)

10. An Action
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Action - the smallest
portable building block of
a workflow

11. Actions by GitHub
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12. Further features & services
• publish your artifacts & container images to GitHub
Packages
• Container Registry
• npm, Maven/Gradle, NuGet, RubyGem
• service container for workflow dependencies
• https://docs.github.com/en/actions/guides/about-service-
containers
• test your workflow locally (open-source project)
• https://github.com/nektos/act
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13. GitHub Actions & Azure
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14. GitHub Actions & DevOps Pipelines
• Azure Pipelines app
• https://github.com/marketplace/azure-pipelines
• Azure Pipelines action
• https://github.com/marketplace/actions/azure-pipelines-action
• following lines are my personal views!
• if possible, use GitHub and GitHub Actions for new projects
• migrate existing Azure DevOps projects to YAML pipelines to
be more flexible in the future
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15. Demo: GitHub Actions in action J
• Marketplace
• CI workflow
• event-based workflow
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16. Build your own GitHub Action
• define your type
• JavaScript-based
• container-based (linux only)
• composite action
• provide metadata in the action.y(a)ml and Readme.md
• more details
• https://help.github.com/en/actions/building-actions
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17. Distribute, publish and use your Action
• publicly via Marketplace
• local repo
• .github/actions/
• other (private) repo
• you will need a second checkout step
• private container registry with container-based action
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18. Further resources
• docs
• https://docs.github.com/actions
• https://github.com/actions/starter-workflows
• public roadmap
• https://github.com/github/roadmap/projects/1?card_filter_query=labe
l%3Aactions
• self-hosted runners
• https://docs.github.com/en/actions/hosting-your-own-runners/about-
self-hosted-runners
• GitHub Enterprise (on-premises)
• https://github.com/enterprise
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19. Questions?
Slides: https://www.slideshare.net/nmeisenzahl
Demo: https://github.com/nmeisenzahl/gh-actions-demo
Nico Meisenzahl (Senior Cloud & DevOps Consultant)
Phone: +49 8031 230159 0
Email: nico.meisenzahl@whiteduck.de
Twitter: @nmeisenzahl
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicomeisenzahl
Blog: https://meisenzahl.org
© white duck GmbH 2021