Runner Reference
Specs, installed software, and action references.
Reference data for GitHub Actions runners: machine specs (vCPU/RAM/disk), what software is preinstalled on each runner image, tool-version matrices, and how to use the most popular actions.
Runner specs
vCPU, RAM, disk per runner type.
Installed software
What ships on ubuntu-latest and friends.
Popular actions
checkout, setup-*, cache, upload-artifact.
actions/attest-build-provenanceReference for actions/attest-build-provenance: generate signed SLSA build provenance attestations for your ar…
actions/cacheReference for actions/cache - how cache keys and restore-keys work, what to cache per ecosystem, and how to a…
actions/cacheReference for actions/cache: cache dependencies and build outputs across runs using key and restore-keys, wit…
actions/checkoutReference for actions/checkout: clone your repository into the runner, control fetch-depth, submodules, refs,…
actions/checkoutReference for actions/checkout - fetch-depth, submodules, token for private repos, and the fixes for detached…
actions/create-releaseReference for actions/create-release: the archived official action that creates a GitHub Release from a tag,…
actions/download-artifactReference for actions/download-artifact: pull artifacts uploaded earlier in the same run into a later job, in…
actions/github-scriptReference for actions/github-script: run inline JavaScript with a pre-authenticated Octokit client to comment…
actions/labelerReference for actions/labeler: automatically apply labels to pull requests based on which files they touch, c…
actions/setup-dotnetReference for actions/setup-dotnet: install one or more .NET SDK versions, read global.json, and configure Nu…
actions/setup-goReference for actions/setup-go: install a Go version, enable module and build caching, and read the version f…
actions/setup-javaReference for actions/setup-java: choose a JDK distribution and version, cache Maven or Gradle, and configure…
actions/setup-nodeReference for actions/setup-node: pin a Node.js version, enable built-in npm/yarn/pnpm caching, and register…
actions/setup-nodeReference for actions/setup-node - selecting Node versions, built-in npm/yarn/pnpm caching, and fixing versio…
actions/setup-pythonReference for actions/setup-python: select a Python version, enable pip/pipenv/poetry caching, and run matrix…
actions/staleReference for actions/stale: label and close inactive issues and pull requests on a schedule, with day thresh…
upload/download-artifactReference for actions/upload-artifact and download-artifact v4 - naming, retention, sharing between jobs, and…
actions/upload-artifactReference for actions/upload-artifact: save files and directories from a job for download or later jobs, with…
configure-aws-credentialsReference for aws-actions/configure-aws-credentials: assume an IAM role via OIDC (no static keys) and set AWS…
azure/loginReference for azure/login: sign in to Azure via OIDC federated credentials or a service principal so later st…
codecov/codecov-actionReference for codecov/codecov-action: upload test coverage reports to Codecov with a token, flags, and file p…
Dependabot (config)Reference for dependabot.yml: configure automated dependency update PRs per ecosystem, including update sched…
docker/build-push-actionReference for docker/build-push-action: build a Docker image with BuildKit and push it to a registry, with ta…
docker/login-actionReference for docker/login-action: log in to Docker Hub, GHCR, ECR, or any registry before pushing images, wi…
docker/metadata-actionReference for docker/metadata-action: derive Docker image tags and OCI labels from Git refs, SHAs, and semver…
docker/setup-buildx-actionReference for docker/setup-buildx-action: create a Buildx builder so you can use BuildKit features, cache exp…
docker/setup-qemu-actionReference for docker/setup-qemu-action: register QEMU binfmt handlers so Buildx can build multi-architecture…
dorny/paths-filterReference for dorny/paths-filter: detect which paths changed in a push or PR and gate downstream jobs or step…
Deprecations trackerA running list of GitHub Actions deprecations - Node runtime versions, workflow commands, and runner images -…
github/codeql-actionReference for github/codeql-action: initialize, analyze, and upload CodeQL results for GitHub code scanning,…
google-github-actions/authReference for google-github-actions/auth: authenticate to Google Cloud via Workload Identity Federation (keyl…
gradle/gradle-build-actionReference for gradle/gradle-build-action (and its successor actions/setup-gradle): run Gradle builds with dep…
hashicorp/setup-terraformReference for hashicorp/setup-terraform: install a pinned Terraform version and optionally wrap commands to e…
JamesIves/github-pages-deploy-actionReference for JamesIves/github-pages-deploy-action: deploy a built folder to a GitHub Pages branch, with fold…
Node 20 actions migrationHow to handle the GitHub Actions Node 16 → Node 20 runtime deprecation - bump action versions, fix warnings,…
nick-fields/retryReference for nick-fields/retry: re-run a command up to N times with timeouts and backoff to survive flaky ne…
peaceiris/actions-gh-pagesReference for peaceiris/actions-gh-pages: push a built static site to the gh-pages branch using GITHUB_TOKEN…
peter-evans/create-pull-requestReference for peter-evans/create-pull-request: commit workflow-generated changes to a branch and open or upda…
pnpm/action-setupReference for pnpm/action-setup: install the pnpm package manager and optionally run install, then pair with…
ruby/setup-rubyReference for ruby/setup-ruby: install a Ruby version and optionally run bundle install with caching, reading…
sigstore/cosign-installerReference for sigstore/cosign-installer: install the Cosign CLI in a workflow to sign and verify container im…
slackapi/slack-github-actionReference for slackapi/slack-github-action: post build status to Slack via a webhook or the Web API, with pay…
softprops/action-gh-releaseReference for softprops/action-gh-release: create or update a GitHub Release on tag pushes and upload assets,…
subosito/flutter-actionReference for subosito/flutter-action: install the Flutter SDK and Dart, pick a channel or version, and cache…
tj-actions/changed-filesReference for tj-actions/changed-files: get the list of files added, modified, or deleted in a push or PR to…
Explore other topics
GitHub ActionsWorkflow, runner, and YAML errors - diagnosed and fixed.
Node.js & npmnpm, yarn, and pnpm failures in CI - solved.
DockerBuild, run, compose, and registry errors - explained.
Pythonpip, poetry, venv, and pytest failures - fixed.
Java & JVMMaven, Gradle, and JVM failures in CI - resolved.
GoGo build, module, and test failures - diagnosed.