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Create a GitHub Actions workflow

Build and test your code automatically with GitHub Actions workflows.

Write a basic workflow​

Create a .github/workflows directory in your repository root, then add a workflow file.

1. Create the workflow file​

Create .github/workflows/ci.yml:

name: CI

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

jobs:
  test:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest

    steps:
    - uses: actions/checkout@v4

    - name: Set up Node.js
      uses: actions/setup-node@v4
      with:
        node-version: '18'
        cache: 'npm'

    - name: Install dependencies
      run: npm ci

    - name: Run tests
      run: npm test

    - name: Build project
      run: npm run build

2. Customize the workflow​

Add a build step​

- name: Build for production
  run: npm run build

- name: Upload build artifacts
  uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
  with:
    name: build-files
    path: dist/

Add testing with coverage​

- name: Run tests with coverage
  run: npm test -- --coverage

- name: Upload coverage reports
  uses: codecov/codecov-action@v3
  with:
    file: ./coverage/lcov.info

Add linting​

- name: Run linter
  run: npm run lint

- name: Check code formatting
  run: npm run format:check

Test the workflow​

1. Commit and push changes​

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

2. Monitor workflow execution​

  1. Go to your repository on GitHub
  2. Click the Actions tab
  3. Select your workflow run to view logs
  4. Check each step for success or failure

3. Debug common issues​

If your workflow fails:

  1. Click the failed job in the Actions tab
  2. Expand the failed step to see error logs
  3. Check the Set up job logs for environment details

Example workflow for different project types​

Node.js application​

name: Node.js CI

on: [push, pull_request]

jobs:
  build-and-test:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    strategy:
      matrix:
        node-version: [16.x, 18.x, 20.x]

    steps:
    - uses: actions/checkout@v4
    - name: Use Node.js ${{ matrix.node-version }}
      uses: actions/setup-node@v4
      with:
        node-version: ${{ matrix.node-version }}
        cache: 'npm'
    - run: npm ci
    - run: npm run build --if-present
    - run: npm test

Python application​

name: Python application

on: [push, pull_request]

jobs:
  test:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    strategy:
      matrix:
        python-version: ["3.8", "3.9", "3.10"]

    steps:
    - uses: actions/checkout@v4
    - name: Set up Python ${{ matrix.python-version }}
      uses: actions/setup-python@v4
      with:
        python-version: ${{ matrix.python-version }}
    - name: Install dependencies
      run: |
        python -m pip install --upgrade pip
        pip install -r requirements.txt
    - name: Run tests
      run: python -m pytest

Next steps​