Github Actions Templates

1---
2name: github-actions-templates
3description: Create production-ready GitHub Actions workflows for automated testing, building, and deploying applications. Use when setting up CI/CD with GitHub Actions, automating development workflows, or creating reusable workflow templates.
4---
5 
6# GitHub Actions Templates
7 
8Production-ready GitHub Actions workflow patterns for testing, building, and deploying applications.
9 
10## Do not use this skill when
11 
12- The task is unrelated to github actions templates
13- You need a different domain or tool outside this scope
14 
15## Instructions
16 
17- Clarify goals, constraints, and required inputs.
18- Apply relevant best practices and validate outcomes.
19- Provide actionable steps and verification.
20- If detailed examples are required, open `resources/implementation-playbook.md`.
21 
22## Purpose
23 
24Create efficient, secure GitHub Actions workflows for continuous integration and deployment across various tech stacks.
25 
26## Use this skill when
27 
28- Automate testing and deployment
29- Build Docker images and push to registries
30- Deploy to Kubernetes clusters
31- Run security scans
32- Implement matrix builds for multiple environments
33 
34## Common Workflow Patterns
35 
36### Pattern 1: Test Workflow
37 
38```yaml
39name: Test
40 
41on:
42  push:
43    branches: [ main, develop ]
44  pull_request:
45    branches: [ main ]
46 
47jobs:
48  test:
49    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
50 
51    strategy:
52      matrix:
53        node-version: [18.x, 20.x]
54 
55    steps:
56    - uses: actions/checkout@v4
57 
58    - name: Use Node.js ${{ matrix.node-version }}
59      uses: actions/setup-node@v4
60      with:
61        node-version: ${{ matrix.node-version }}
62        cache: 'npm'
63 
64    - name: Install dependencies
65      run: npm ci
66 
67    - name: Run linter
68      run: npm run lint
69 
70    - name: Run tests
71      run: npm test
72 
73    - name: Upload coverage
74      uses: codecov/codecov-action@v3
75      with:
76        files: ./coverage/lcov.info
77```
78 
79**Reference:** See `assets/test-workflow.yml`
80 
81### Pattern 2: Build and Push Docker Image
82 
83```yaml
84name: Build and Push
85 
86on:
87  push:
88    branches: [ main ]
89    tags: [ 'v*' ]
90 
91env:
92  REGISTRY: ghcr.io
93  IMAGE_NAME: ${{ github.repository }}
94 
95jobs:
96  build:
97    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
98    permissions:
99      contents: read
100      packages: write
101 
102    steps:
103    - uses: actions/checkout@v4
104 
105    - name: Log in to Container Registry
106      uses: docker/login-action@v3
107      with:
108        registry: ${{ env.REGISTRY }}
109        username: ${{ github.actor }}
110        password: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
111 
112    - name: Extract metadata
113      id: meta
114      uses: docker/metadata-action@v5
115      with:
116        images: ${{ env.REGISTRY }}/${{ env.IMAGE_NAME }}
117        tags: |
118          type=ref,event=branch
119          type=ref,event=pr
120          type=semver,pattern={{version}}
121          type=semver,pattern={{major}}.{{minor}}
122 
123    - name: Build and push
124      uses: docker/build-push-action@v5
125      with:
126        context: .
127        push: true
128        tags: ${{ steps.meta.outputs.tags }}
129        labels: ${{ steps.meta.outputs.labels }}
130        cache-from: type=gha
131        cache-to: type=gha,mode=max
132```
133 
134**Reference:** See `assets/deploy-workflow.yml`
135 
136### Pattern 3: Deploy to Kubernetes
137 
138```yaml
139name: Deploy to Kubernetes
140 
141on:
142  push:
143    branches: [ main ]
144 
145jobs:
146  deploy:
147    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
148 
149    steps:
150    - uses: actions/checkout@v4
151 
152    - name: Configure AWS credentials
153      uses: aws-actions/configure-aws-credentials@v4
154      with:
155        aws-access-key-id: ${{ secrets.AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID }}
156        aws-secret-access-key: ${{ secrets.AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY }}
157        aws-region: us-west-2
158 
159    - name: Update kubeconfig
160      run: |
161        aws eks update-kubeconfig --name production-cluster --region us-west-2
162 
163    - name: Deploy to Kubernetes
164      run: |
165        kubectl apply -f k8s/
166        kubectl rollout status deployment/my-app -n production
167        kubectl get services -n production
168 
169    - name: Verify deployment
170      run: |
171        kubectl get pods -n production
172        kubectl describe deployment my-app -n production
173```
174 
175### Pattern 4: Matrix Build
176 
177```yaml
178name: Matrix Build
179 
180on: [push, pull_request]
181 
182jobs:
183  build:
184    runs-on: ${{ matrix.os }}
185 
186    strategy:
187      matrix:
188        os: [ubuntu-latest, macos-latest, windows-latest]
189        python-version: ['3.9', '3.10', '3.11', '3.12']
190 
191    steps:
192    - uses: actions/checkout@v4
193 
194    - name: Set up Python
195      uses: actions/setup-python@v5
196      with:
197        python-version: ${{ matrix.python-version }}
198 
199    - name: Install dependencies
200      run: |
201        python -m pip install --upgrade pip
202        pip install -r requirements.txt
203 
204    - name: Run tests
205      run: pytest
206```
207 
208**Reference:** See `assets/matrix-build.yml`
209 
210## Workflow Best Practices
211 
2121. **Use specific action versions** (@v4, not @latest)
2132. **Cache dependencies** to speed up builds
2143. **Use secrets** for sensitive data
2154. **Implement status checks** on PRs
2165. **Use matrix builds** for multi-version testing
2176. **Set appropriate permissions**
2187. **Use reusable workflows** for common patterns
2198. **Implement approval gates** for production
2209. **Add notification steps** for failures
22110. **Use self-hosted runners** for sensitive workloads
222 
223## Reusable Workflows
224 
225```yaml
226# .github/workflows/reusable-test.yml
227name: Reusable Test Workflow
228 
229on:
230  workflow_call:
231    inputs:
232      node-version:
233        required: true
234        type: string
235    secrets:
236      NPM_TOKEN:
237        required: true
238 
239jobs:
240  test:
241    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
242    steps:
243    - uses: actions/checkout@v4
244    - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
245      with:
246        node-version: ${{ inputs.node-version }}
247    - run: npm ci
248    - run: npm test
249```
250 
251**Use reusable workflow:**
252```yaml
253jobs:
254  call-test:
255    uses: ./.github/workflows/reusable-test.yml
256    with:
257      node-version: '20.x'
258    secrets:
259      NPM_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.NPM_TOKEN }}
260```
261 
262## Security Scanning
263 
264```yaml
265name: Security Scan
266 
267on:
268  push:
269    branches: [ main ]
270  pull_request:
271    branches: [ main ]
272 
273jobs:
274  security:
275    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
276 
277    steps:
278    - uses: actions/checkout@v4
279 
280    - name: Run Trivy vulnerability scanner
281      uses: aquasecurity/trivy-action@master
282      with:
283        scan-type: 'fs'
284        scan-ref: '.'
285        format: 'sarif'
286        output: 'trivy-results.sarif'
287 
288    - name: Upload Trivy results to GitHub Security
289      uses: github/codeql-action/upload-sarif@v2
290      with:
291        sarif_file: 'trivy-results.sarif'
292 
293    - name: Run Snyk Security Scan
294      uses: snyk/actions/node@master
295      env:
296        SNYK_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.SNYK_TOKEN }}
297```
298 
299## Deployment with Approvals
300 
301```yaml
302name: Deploy to Production
303 
304on:
305  push:
306    tags: [ 'v*' ]
307 
308jobs:
309  deploy:
310    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
311    environment:
312      name: production
313      url: https://app.example.com
314 
315    steps:
316    - uses: actions/checkout@v4
317 
318    - name: Deploy application
319      run: |
320        echo "Deploying to production..."
321        # Deployment commands here
322 
323    - name: Notify Slack
324      if: success()
325      uses: slackapi/slack-github-action@v1
326      with:
327        webhook-url: ${{ secrets.SLACK_WEBHOOK }}
328        payload: |
329          {
330            "text": "Deployment to production completed successfully!"
331          }
332```
333 
334## Reference Files
335 
336- `assets/test-workflow.yml` - Testing workflow template
337- `assets/deploy-workflow.yml` - Deployment workflow template
338- `assets/matrix-build.yml` - Matrix build template
339- `references/common-workflows.md` - Common workflow patterns
340 
341## Related Skills
342 
343- `gitlab-ci-patterns` - For GitLab CI workflows
344- `deployment-pipeline-design` - For pipeline architecture
345- `secrets-management` - For secrets handling
346