yaml
- uses: actions/checkout@v4Notes
Most build, test, and release workflows start with a checkout step.
GitHub Actions: Jobs, Steps, Matrix, and Reusable Building Blocks
Jobs, steps, matrix builds, conditional execution, reusable workflows, composite actions, and service containers in GitHub Actions.
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Jobs, steps, and conditionals
Compose job logic cleanly and gate execution with expressions.
yaml
- uses: actions/setup-node@v4
with:
node-version: 20Notes
Use official setup actions for language runtimes whenever possible.
yaml
- name: Publish
if: github.ref == 'refs/heads/main'
run: npm run publishNotes
Conditionals help keep a single workflow flexible across branches and events.
yaml
jobs:
release:
if: startsWith(github.ref, 'refs/tags/')
runs-on: ubuntu-latestNotes
Use job-level conditions when the whole job should be skipped.
yaml
- name: Optional audit
continue-on-error: true
run: npm auditNotes
Useful for advisory checks that should not fail the pipeline yet.
Matrix, reuse, and services
Scale workflows across versions, platforms, and reusable components.
Test across multiple Node versions
Use a strategy matrix for version coverage.
yamlANYmatrixnodestrategy
yaml
jobs:
test:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
strategy:
matrix:
node: [18, 20, 22]
steps:
- uses: actions/checkout@v4
- uses: actions/setup-node@v4
with:
node-version: ${{ matrix.node }}
- run: npm ci
- run: npm testNotes
Matrix builds are the standard way to validate against multiple versions or OSes.
Run on multiple operating systems
Validate portability across Linux, macOS, and Windows.
yamlANYmatrixos
yaml
strategy:
matrix:
os: [ubuntu-latest, macos-latest, windows-latest]
runs-on: ${{ matrix.os }}Notes
Great for CLI tools and cross-platform libraries.
Start a PostgreSQL service container
Run integration tests against a database service.
yamlANYservicespostgresintegration-tests
yaml
services:
postgres:
image: postgres:16
env:
POSTGRES_PASSWORD: postgres
ports:
- 5432:5432
options: >-
--health-cmd "pg_isready -U postgres"
--health-interval 10s
--health-timeout 5s
--health-retries 5Notes
Service containers make it easy to run databases and dependent services inside CI.
Call a reusable workflow
Centralize shared CI logic in one workflow file.
yamlANYreusable-workflowusessecrets
yaml
jobs:
ci:
uses: my-org/my-repo/.github/workflows/reusable-ci.yml@main
with:
node-version: 20
secrets: inheritNotes
Reusable workflows reduce duplication across repos and teams.
Composite action metadata
Bundle repeated shell steps into a reusable local action.
yamlANYcomposite-actionaction.yml
yaml
name: setup-project
runs:
using: "composite"
steps:
- run: npm ci
shell: bash
- run: npm run build
shell: bashNotes
Composite actions are useful for local step reuse without creating a full JavaScript or Docker action.
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