GitHub Actions Cheatsheet - Standard structure and a List of most useful actions

GitHub Actions is an automation and CI/CD platform within GitHub, used to build, test, and deploy your code based on events like pushes, pull requests, or on a schedule.

In addition to standard GitHub you can use GitHub Actions in a self-hosted Gitea server.

This summary covers the GitHub actions structure, short description and the most common actions used across open source and commercial workflows. Actions span official, community, and third-party tools, supporting automation from builds and tests to deployment, release management, QA, and notifications.

Basic Configuration Structure

GitHub Actions Workflows are defined in YAML files located in the .github/workflows directory within the repository.

name: Workflow Name
on:
  push:
    branches: [ main ]
jobs:
  build:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - name: Set up Node.js
        uses: actions/setup-node@v3
        with:
          node-version: '18'
      - name: Run tests
        run: npm test

• The on block specifies trigger events.
• Each job runs on its own runner.
• steps can run shell commands or call re-usable actions.

Core Workflow Components

Trigger Events

• push
• pull_request
• schedule (using cron syntax)
• workflow_dispatch (manual trigger, allows input parameters)
• release, issue, etc.

Example:

on:
  push:
    branches: [ main ]
  workflow_dispatch:
    inputs:
      environment:
        description: 'Deployment Environment'
        required: true
        default: 'production'
        type: string

Useful Built-in Actions

Action Parameters

General Parameters for Any Action Call:

- name: Some Action or Step
  uses: owner/repo@ref
  with:
    param1: value
    param2: value
  env:
    ENV_VAR: value
  if: ${{ condition }}
  run: command_to_run
  shell: bash|pwsh|python|sh
  continue-on-error: true|false

• with: arguments passed to the action (see action’s docs for all options)
• env: environment variables for the step
• if: conditional execution
• run: shell commands (if not using an action)
• shell: shell used to run the step
• continue-on-error: proceed even if the step fails

Defining Custom Action Inputs

In your action metadata (action.yml):

inputs:
  example-input:
    description: 'An example input'
    required: false
    default: 'default-value'

When used in a workflow:

- uses: my/action@v1
  with:
    example-input: 'custom-value'

Accessed as environment variable INPUT_EXAMPLE_INPUT when the action runs.

Example: Workflow with Manual Parameters

name: Deploy
on:
  workflow_dispatch:
    inputs:
      environment:
        description: 'Deployment Environment'
        required: true
        default: 'production'
        type: string
jobs:
  deploy:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Checkout code
        uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - name: Deploy to environment
        run: echo "Deploying to ${{ github.event.inputs.environment }}"

Action Marketplace

• Thousands of reusable actions are available in the GitHub Marketplace.
• Categories include: cloud deployments, notification tools, test frameworks, code analysis, and more.
• Explore: actions/checkout, actions/setup-node, docker/build-push-action, actions/cache, actions/upload-artifact, and many others.

Quick Tips

• Place workflow files in .github/workflows.
• Use workflow_dispatch with inputs for manual and parameterized runs.
• Use cache action to speed up dependency installs.
• Use job matrix to test multiple OS/runtime versions.
• Use secrets for sensitive data, referenced as ${{ secrets.SECRET_NAME }}.

This cheatsheet covers the essentials of using, configuring, and extending GitHub Actions for automation, CI/CD, and more. For more details and updates, always check the official GitHub documentation and action repositories.

Common GitHub Actions

Here’s a practical list of frequently used GitHub Actions that help automate CI/CD, testing, building, deployment, and workflow tasks:

Core Official Actions

Popular Community & Third-party Actions

Testing, QA, and Reporting Actions

Deployment & Notification Actions

Utility & Workflow Management

How to Find More

There is a lot of GurHub Actions that enable workflow automation such as automated testing, deployment to production, notifications, and integrations with other services. The GitHub Marketplace lists thousands of actions across categories like testing, security, deployment, notifications, code quality, and integrations. Curated lists such as “Awesome Actions” are also great for inspiration and discovery.

Useful links

• https://docs.github.com/actions
• https://github.com/marketplace
• https://docs.github.com/en/actions/get-started/quickstart
• https://docs.github.com/en/actions/reference/workflow-syntax-for-github-actions
• GIT Cheatsheet
• Gitea - installing and testing
• Backup and restore Gitea server
• Using Gitea Actions deploy Hugo website to AWS S3
• Gitflow: Steps, Alternatives, Pros, and Cons
• DevOps with GitOps - Argo CD, Flux, Jenkins X, Weave GitOps and others