GitHub Actions 1

Question 1

What is GitHub Actions?

Answer 1

A CI/CD and automation platform that allows you to build, test, and deploy code directly from GitHub.

Question 2

What is a workflow in GitHub Actions?

Answer 2

A configuration file that defines automated processes in your repository, located in .github/workflows.

Question 3

What is a job in GitHub Actions?

Answer 3

A set of steps that are executed as part of a workflow. Each job runs in its own virtual environment.

Question 4

What are steps in GitHub Actions?

Answer 4

Individual tasks within a job, such as running a script or installing dependencies.

Question 5

What does runs-on specify in a job configuration?

Answer 5

The virtual environment or runner where the job will execute (e.g., ubuntu-latest, windows-latest).

Question 6

What is an action in GitHub Actions?

Answer 6

A reusable unit of code that performs a specific task, such as checking out code or setting up a programming environment.

Question 7

What is the purpose of the on field in a workflow?

Answer 7

Specifies the events that trigger the workflow, such as push, pull_request, or schedule.

Question 8

What is the difference between a custom action and a marketplace action?

Answer 8

Custom actions are created by you, while marketplace actions are pre-built by others and available for reuse.

Question 9

What is a runner in GitHub Actions?

Answer 9

A server that runs workflows; GitHub provides hosted runners or you can set up self-hosted runners.

Question 10

What is a matrix build in GitHub Actions?

Answer 10

A feature that allows testing across multiple configurations, like different versions of a language or operating system.

Question 11

What is a secret in GitHub Actions?

Answer 11

Sensitive data (e.g., API keys, tokens) stored securely in a repository and accessed in workflows.

Question 12

What is the GitHub Actions Marketplace?

Answer 12

A catalog of pre-built actions and workflows created by the community and GitHub.

Question 13

What does uses do in a step?

Answer 13

Specifies an action from the marketplace or a repository to be used in the step.

Question 14

What is caching in GitHub Actions?

Answer 14

Storing dependencies or build artifacts to speed up workflows using actions like actions/cache.

Question 15

What is the jobs.<job_id>.needs field used for?</job_id>

Answer 15

To define job dependencies, ensuring that a job runs only after its dependencies have completed.

Question 16

What is GITHUB_TOKEN in GitHub Actions?

Answer 16

An automatically generated token for authenticating actions in a workflow.

Question 17

How do you run a workflow on a schedule?

Answer 17

Use the schedule trigger with a cron syntax, e.g.,:

Question 18

What is a repository_dispatch trigger?

Answer 18

A custom event trigger that allows external services to trigger workflows via the GitHub API.

Question 19

What happens if a workflow fails?

Answer 19

GitHub provides logs and highlights the failing steps in the Actions tab for debugging

Question 20

What are reusable workflows?

Answer 20

Workflows that can be called from other workflows to reduce duplication and improve maintainability.