In this blog, you’ll find official resources and guides on using GitHub Actions to automate CI/CD pipelines and development workflows. Whether you’re just getting started or looking to strengthen your automation skills, this guide will help you use GitHub Actions effectively.

Introduction to GitHub Actions

GitHub Actions is GitHub’s native automation platform that enables teams to build CI/CD pipelines and automate workflows directly from their repositories. It allows you to run scripts, build applications, execute tests, perform code scans, and deploy services based on repository events.

What Can GitHub Actions Be Used For?

GitHub Actions supports automation across frontend, backend, and QA workflows.

For Frontend Teams

• Run ESLint and Prettier checks on every pull request
• Build React, Angular, or Next.js applications
• Run UI tests
• Deploy static frontend builds

For Backend Teams

• Run unit and integration tests
• Build and package services
• Run security and dependency scans
• Deploy APIs or serverless functions

For QA Teams

• Trigger automated test suites
• Run regression or smoke tests
• Generate and publish test reports
• Schedule periodic quality checks

Official overview: https://docs.github.com/en/actions

CI, CD, and Where GitHub Actions Fits

Continuous Integration (CI)

CI automatically builds and tests code whenever changes are pushed or a pull request is created.

Continuous Delivery / Deployment (CD)

CD automates the delivery of tested code to staging or production.

Where GitHub Actions Fits

GitHub Actions acts as the automation layer in CI/CD by:

• Listening to repository events
• Running workflows for build, test, scan, and deploy
• Integrating with GitHub pull requests and branch protection rules

CI/CD with GitHub Actions: https://docs.github.com/en/actions/deployment/about-deployments

Core Concepts of GitHub Actions

1. Adding GitHub Actions to a Repository

GitHub Actions is configured using workflow files placed under:

.github/workflows/

Each workflow is a YAML file that defines triggers, jobs, and steps.

Workflow syntax reference: https://docs.github.com/en/actions/using-workflows/workflow-syntax-for-github-actions

2. Events

Events trigger workflows. Common types include:

• push – when code is pushed
• pull_request – when a PR is created or updated
• schedule – run workflows using a cron expression
• workflow_dispatch – manually trigger a workflow

Events reference: https://docs.github.com/en/actions/using-workflows/events-that-trigger-workflows

3. Workflows

A workflow defines:

• When it runs
• What jobs it runs
• In what order

Workflows can run one or multiple jobs in parallel or sequentially.

Workflows guide: https://docs.github.com/en/actions/using-workflows/about-workflows

4. Jobs

A job is a collection of steps that run on the same runner.

• Jobs can run in parallel
• Jobs can depend on each other
• Each job runs in an isolated environment

Jobs reference: https://docs.github.com/en/actions/using-jobs/using-jobs-in-a-workflow

5. Runners (GitHub-Hosted Only)

Runners are machines that execute jobs. In this guide, we use GitHub-hosted runners, such as:

• ubuntu-latest
• windows-latest
• macos-latest

These runners are managed by GitHub and require no setup.

Runners guide: https://docs.github.com/en/actions/using-github-hosted-runners/about-github-hosted-runners

6. Steps

Steps are individual tasks inside a job. A step can either:

• Run shell commands
• Use a prebuilt action

Steps execute in order and can share data using environment variables or files.

Steps reference: https://docs.github.com/en/actions/using-jobs/using-steps-in-a-job

7. Actions (Official Only)

Actions are reusable units of work. In this guide, we use only official GitHub actions such as:

• actions/checkout – checks out repository code
• actions/setup-node – sets up a Node.js environment
• actions/upload-artifact – uploads build outputs or reports

Official actions: https://github.com/actions

Sample Workflows

1. Basic Workflow: List All Files in the Repo

Purpose

• Understand workflow structure
• Learn about jobs, steps, and runners

What It Does

• Triggered on every push
• Checks out repository code
• Runs ls to list all files

Key Concepts Used

• push event
• actions/checkout
• GitHub-hosted runner

2. Run JS/TS Lint on Pull Requests

Purpose

• Enforce code quality
• Catch lint issues before merge

What It Does

• Triggered on pull_request
• Sets up Node.js
• Installs dependencies
• Runs ESLint or a TypeScript linter
• Fails the PR if lint errors are found

Relevant action: https://github.com/actions/setup-node

3. Daily Static Code Scan with Email Report

Purpose

• Automate scheduled quality checks
• Share scan results with the team

What It Does

• Triggered using a scheduled cron event
• Runs a static code scan (for example, ESLint or a security scanner)
• Generates a report file
• Uploads the report as an artifact
• Emails the report to a configured email address

Schedule events: https://docs.github.com/en/actions/using-workflows/events-that-trigger-workflows#schedule

Artifacts action: https://github.com/actions/upload-artifact

Summary

• GitHub Actions is GitHub’s native automation platform for CI/CD and workflows
• It supports frontend, backend, and QA automation
• Core concepts include workflows, jobs, steps, runners, events, and actions
• Official actions provide reusable building blocks
• Common workflows include linting, scheduled scans, and repository automation

This foundation helps teams build reliable CI/CD pipelines and automate development workflows using GitHub Actions.