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GitHub Actions Workflows

Workflows are the heart of GitHub Actions — they define what happens, when it happens, and how it happens. A workflow is an automated process described in a...

Workflows are the heart of GitHub Actions — they define what happens, when it happens, and how it happens. A workflow is an automated process described in a YAML file that lives in your repository. It specifies the triggers, the machines to run on, and the exact sequence of commands to execute. Mastering workflow configuration is essential for building efficient CI/CD pipelines.

Workflow File Structure

Every workflow lives in .github/workflows/ and follows a specific structure:

Example

name: Workflow Name # Display name in the Actions tab on: # Trigger events push: branches: [main] permissions: # Security permissions contents: read env: # Global environment variables NODE_ENV: production jobs: # One or more jobs to run job-name: runs-on: ubuntu-latest steps: - name: Step description run: echo "Hello"

Trigger Events in Detail

Push and Pull Request Events

Example

on: push: branches: - main - 'release/**' # Wildcard matching paths: - 'src/**' # Only trigger when src files change - '!src/**/*.test.js' # Exclude test files tags: - 'v*' # Trigger on version tags pull_request: types: [opened, synchronize, reopened, ready_for_review] branches: [main]

Scheduled Workflows

yaml example

on:
  schedule:
    - cron: '0 6 * * MON-FRI'  # Weekdays at 6 AM UTC
    - cron: '0 0 1 * *'         # First day of each month

Cron syntax: minute hour day-of-month month day-of-week

Manual Triggers

yaml example

on:
  workflow_dispatch:
    inputs:
      environment:
        description: 'Target environment'
        required: true
        type: choice
        options:
          - staging
          - production
      dry_run:
        description: 'Dry run (no actual deployment)'
        type: boolean
        default: false

Access inputs in steps: ${{ github.event.inputs.environment }}

Repository Events

Example

on: issues: types: [opened, labeled] release: types: [published] workflow_run: workflows: ["Build"] types: [completed]

Job Configuration

Basic Job Structure

yaml example

jobs:
  build:
    name: Build Application
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    timeout-minutes: 15
    
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - run: npm ci
      - run: npm run build

Job Dependencies

Example

jobs: lint: runs-on: ubuntu-latest steps: - run: npm run lint test: runs-on: ubuntu-latest steps: - run: npm test deploy: needs: [lint, test] # Waits for both to pass runs-on: ubuntu-latest steps: - run: npm run deploy

Matrix Strategy

Run the same job with different configurations:

Example

jobs: test: strategy: fail-fast: false # Continue other matrix jobs if one fails matrix: os: [ubuntu-latest, windows-latest] node: [18, 20, 22] exclude: - os: windows-latest node: 18 include: - os: ubuntu-latest node: 22 experimental: true runs-on: ${{ matrix.os }} continue-on-error: ${{ matrix.experimental || false }} steps: - uses: actions/setup-node@v4 with: node-version: ${{ matrix.node }}

Steps Deep Dive

Running Commands

yaml example

steps:
  # Single command
  - run: echo "Hello"
  
  # Multi-line script
  - run: |
      echo "Line 1"
      echo "Line 2"
      npm test
      
  # Different shell
  - run: Get-Process
    shell: pwsh

Using Actions

yaml example

steps:
  # GitHub official action
  - uses: actions/checkout@v4
    with:
      fetch-depth: 0     # Full history for versioning
      
  # Community action
  - uses: peaceiris/actions-gh-pages@v4
    with:
      github_token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
      publish_dir: ./dist
      
  # Action from a specific commit
  - uses: owner/repo@abc123

Conditional Steps

yaml example

steps:
  - name: Deploy to production
    if: github.ref == 'refs/heads/main' && github.event_name == 'push'
    run: deploy-prod.sh

  - name: Notify on failure
    if: failure()
    run: send-alert.sh
    
  - name: Always cleanup
    if: always()
    run: cleanup.sh

Outputs and Communication Between Jobs

yaml example

jobs:
  build:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    outputs:
      version: ${{ steps.get-version.outputs.version }}
    steps:
      - id: get-version
        run: echo "version=$(cat VERSION)" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT

  deploy:
    needs: build
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - run: echo "Deploying version ${{ needs.build.outputs.version }}"

Reusable Workflows

Create reusable workflows that other workflows can call:

yaml example

# .github/workflows/reusable-deploy.yml
name: Reusable Deploy
on:
  workflow_call:
    inputs:
      environment:
        required: true
        type: string
    secrets:
      deploy_key:
        required: true

jobs:
  deploy:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    environment: ${{ inputs.environment }}
    steps:
      - run: echo "Deploying to ${{ inputs.environment }}"

Call it from another workflow:

yaml example

jobs:
  deploy-staging:
    uses: ./.github/workflows/reusable-deploy.yml
    with:
      environment: staging
    secrets:
      deploy_key: ${{ secrets.STAGING_KEY }}

Concurrency Control

Prevent multiple instances of the same workflow from running simultaneously:

yaml example

concurrency:
  group: deploy-${{ github.ref }}
  cancel-in-progress: true    # Cancel previous runs for same branch

Key Takeaways

Workflows are YAML-defined automation pipelines triggered by repository events. Master the trigger system to control when workflows run, use matrix strategies for comprehensive testing, leverage job dependencies for ordered execution, and employ reusable workflows to eliminate duplication. Well-structured workflows are the foundation of reliable CI/CD — they encode your team's quality standards and deployment procedures into executable, version-controlled automation.

Exam Focus

Revise definitions, diagrams, examples, and short-answer points for GitHub Actions Workflows.

Interview Use

Prepare one clear explanation, one practical example, and one common mistake for this Git & GitHub topic.

Search Terms

git-github, git & github, git, github, actions, workflows, github actions workflows

Related Git & GitHub Topics

Continue learning this concept

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Git Notes

GitHub Actions Workflows

Workflows are the heart of GitHub Actions — they define what happens, when it happens, and how it happens. A workflow is an automated process described in a...

Workflow File Structure

Every workflow lives in .github/workflows/ and follows a specific structure:

Example

Trigger Events in Detail

Push and Pull Request Events

Example

Scheduled Workflows

yaml example

on:
  schedule:
    - cron: '0 6 * * MON-FRI'  # Weekdays at 6 AM UTC
    - cron: '0 0 1 * *'         # First day of each month

Cron syntax: minute hour day-of-month month day-of-week

Manual Triggers

yaml example

on:
  workflow_dispatch:
    inputs:
      environment:
        description: 'Target environment'
        required: true
        type: choice
        options:
          - staging
          - production
      dry_run:
        description: 'Dry run (no actual deployment)'
        type: boolean
        default: false

Access inputs in steps: ${{ github.event.inputs.environment }}

Repository Events

Example

on: issues: types: [opened, labeled] release: types: [published] workflow_run: workflows: ["Build"] types: [completed]

Job Configuration

Basic Job Structure

yaml example

jobs:
  build:
    name: Build Application
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    timeout-minutes: 15
    
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - run: npm ci
      - run: npm run build

Job Dependencies

Example

Matrix Strategy

Run the same job with different configurations:

Example

Steps Deep Dive

Running Commands

yaml example

steps:
  # Single command
  - run: echo "Hello"
  
  # Multi-line script
  - run: |
      echo "Line 1"
      echo "Line 2"
      npm test
      
  # Different shell
  - run: Get-Process
    shell: pwsh

Using Actions

yaml example

steps:
  # GitHub official action
  - uses: actions/checkout@v4
    with:
      fetch-depth: 0     # Full history for versioning
      
  # Community action
  - uses: peaceiris/actions-gh-pages@v4
    with:
      github_token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
      publish_dir: ./dist
      
  # Action from a specific commit
  - uses: owner/repo@abc123

Conditional Steps

yaml example

steps:
  - name: Deploy to production
    if: github.ref == 'refs/heads/main' && github.event_name == 'push'
    run: deploy-prod.sh

  - name: Notify on failure
    if: failure()
    run: send-alert.sh
    
  - name: Always cleanup
    if: always()
    run: cleanup.sh

Outputs and Communication Between Jobs

yaml example

jobs:
  build:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    outputs:
      version: ${{ steps.get-version.outputs.version }}
    steps:
      - id: get-version
        run: echo "version=$(cat VERSION)" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT

  deploy:
    needs: build
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - run: echo "Deploying version ${{ needs.build.outputs.version }}"

Reusable Workflows

Create reusable workflows that other workflows can call:

yaml example

# .github/workflows/reusable-deploy.yml
name: Reusable Deploy
on:
  workflow_call:
    inputs:
      environment:
        required: true
        type: string
    secrets:
      deploy_key:
        required: true

jobs:
  deploy:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    environment: ${{ inputs.environment }}
    steps:
      - run: echo "Deploying to ${{ inputs.environment }}"

Call it from another workflow:

yaml example

jobs:
  deploy-staging:
    uses: ./.github/workflows/reusable-deploy.yml
    with:
      environment: staging
    secrets:
      deploy_key: ${{ secrets.STAGING_KEY }}

Concurrency Control

Prevent multiple instances of the same workflow from running simultaneously:

yaml example

concurrency:
  group: deploy-${{ github.ref }}
  cancel-in-progress: true    # Cancel previous runs for same branch

Key Takeaways

Exam Focus

Revise definitions, diagrams, examples, and short-answer points for GitHub Actions Workflows.

Interview Use

Prepare one clear explanation, one practical example, and one common mistake for this Git & GitHub topic.

Search Terms

git-github, git & github, git, github, actions, workflows, github actions workflows

Related Git & GitHub Topics

Continue learning this concept

PreviousGitHub Actions Runners NextEnterprise Git Workflows - Scale Git for Large Organizations