Automating Workflows with GitHub Actions

Table of contents

1. Automating Workflows with GitHub Actions
2. Contributors
3. About the author
4. About the reviewer
5. Preface
   1. Who this book is for
   2. What this book covers
   3. To get the most out of this book
   4. Download the color images
   5. Conventions used
   6. Get in touch
   7. Share Your Thoughts
6. Section 1:Introduction and Overview of Technologies Used with GitHub Actions
7. Chapter 1: Learning the Foundations for GitHub Actions
   1. Technical requirements
   2. Understanding the basics of CI/CD
      1. A brief trip through the history of software development
   3. Introduction to GitHub: creating a user account
      1. Creating a free user account on GitHub
      2. Creating a PAT
      3. About SSH keys
      4. Checking for existing SSH keys
      5. Adding your SSH key to your GitHub user account
   4. Discovering the basics of Git and GitHub
      1. Configuring Git
      2. Basic Git commands
      3. Basics of GitHub
      4. Pull requests
      5. Settings
      6. Branches
      7. Actions
      8. Secrets
   5. Introduction to YAML
      1. Basic rules
      2. YAML components
   6. Summary
8. Chapter 2: Deep Diving into GitHub Actions
   1. Learning about GitHub Actions' core concepts and components
      1. Events
      2. Jobs
      3. Steps
      4. Actions
      5. Runners
   2. Understanding the basics of workflows
      1. Learning the basics of the workflow file syntax
      2. Writing and customizing workflow files
      3. Using the Actions tab to find and customize workflow templates
   3. Securing your GitHub Actions
      1. Secrets – how to create and use them
      2. Creating encrypted secrets at the repository level
      3. Creating encrypted secrets at the environment level
      4. Using encrypted secrets in a workflow
      5. Best practices for securing self-hosted runners
   4. Summary
9. Section 2: Advanced Concepts and Hands-On Exercises to Create Actions
10. Chapter 3: A Closer Look at Workflows
    1. Reviewing the webhook events that trigger workflows
       1. Branch or tag creation
       2. Deployment creation and deployment status
       3. Issues
       4. Issue_comment
       5. Project
       6. Pull request
       7. Pull request review
    2. Authenticating within a workflow
       1. Overview
       2. Permissions
       3. Alternative authentication methods
    3. Understanding contexts, environment variables, and expressions
       1. Contexts
       2. Expressions
    4. Managing the workflow run
       1. Visualizing a workflow run
       2. Workflow run logs
    5. Summary
11. Chapter 4: Working with Self-Hosted Runners
    1. Technical requirements
    2. Creating a self-hosted runner
       1. Overview
       2. Architecture and operating systems supported by self-hosted runners
       3. Communication with GitHub
       4. Adding the GitHub Actions runner application to your repository
    3. Configuring a job that runs on a self-hosted runner
    4. Managing a self-hosted runner
       1. Understanding the status of self-hosted runners
       2. Reviewing logs
       3. The automatic update process
       4. Removing a self-hosted runner
    5. Summary
12. Chapter 5: Writing Your Own Actions
    1. Technical requirements
    2. Overview
       1. Types of actions
    3. Reviewing the metadata syntax
    4. Using exit codes
       1. Adding exit codes to a JavaScript action
       2. Adding exit codes to a Docker container action
    5. Creating a JavaScript action
       1. Prerequisites
       2. Defining the action
       3. Writing the action logic
       4. Ensuring all works as expected
    6. Creating a Docker container action
       1. Prerequisites
       2. Creating a Dockerfile in your GitHub repository
       3. Defining the action
       4. Writing the action logic
       5. Ensuring all works as expected
    7. Creating a composite run steps action
       1. Prerequisites
       2. Defining the action
       3. Ensuring all works as expected
    8. Summary
13. Chapter 6: Marketplace – Finding Existing Actions and Publishing Your Own
    1. Technical requirements
    2. Overview
    3. Finding existing actions
    4. Publishing your own actions
       1. Prerequisites
       2. Preparing and publishing your action
    5. Removing your action from GitHub Marketplace
    6. Summary
14. Section 3: Customizing Existing Actions, Migrations, and the Future of GitHub Actions
15. Chapter 7: Migrations
    1. Technical requirements
    2. Considerations before you migrate
    3. Migrating from Azure Pipelines
       1. Syntax differences
    4. Migrating from GitLab CI/CD
       1. Syntax differences
    5. Migrating from Jenkins
       1. Syntax differences
    6. Summary
16. Chapter 8: Contributing to the Community and Finding Help
    1. Technical requirements
    2. Hands-on learning
    3. Interacting with the GitHub Actions community
    4. Helping to improve GitHub Actions
    5. Requesting technical support
    6. Summary
17. Chapter 9: The Future of GitHub Actions
    1. Technical requirements
    2. Checking the GitHub roadmap
    3. Reading the GitHub blog and changelog
    4. Connecting through social media
    5. Summary
    6. Why subscribe?
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