GitHub Actions

GitHub Actions is a CI/CD and workflow automation service built into GitHub. It runs tasks such as builds, tests and deployments when events happen in a repository.

Workflows are defined in YAML files inside a repository and run on hosted or self-hosted runners. A workflow can start on a push, a pull request, a schedule or almost any other GitHub event. Hosted runners are available for Linux, macOS, Windows and ARM systems, and matrix builds test code across several operating systems or language versions at once. Secrets can be stored encrypted at the repository, environment or organization level, and live logs show each step as it runs.

• Workflows that run on any GitHub event
• Hosted runners for Linux, macOS and Windows
• Matrix builds across language versions
• Encrypted secrets store
• Marketplace with reusable actions

Developers and teams that already host their code on GitHub and want automated tests and deploys without running a separate CI server. Open source maintainers often use it for automated checks on each contribution.

GitHub Actions is free for public repositories and includes a set amount of free minutes for private ones. Usage beyond those limits is billed, and self-hosted runners are also supported. Check GitHub's pricing page for current limits, since minute allowances and runner rates can change over time.