Tests: node.js workflow (airbnb/javascript)

The Tests: node.js workflow from airbnb/javascript, explained and optimized by Latchkey.

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Source: airbnb/javascript.github/workflows/node.ymlLicense MITView source

What it does

This is the Tests: node.js workflow from the airbnb/javascript repository, a real project running GitHub Actions. It is shown here with attribution under its MIT license.

Below, Latchkey shows a faster, safer version produced by its optimization engine.

The workflow

workflow (.yml)

name: 'Tests: node.js'

on: [pull_request, push]

permissions:
  contents: read

jobs:
  matrix:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    outputs:
      latest: ${{ steps.set-matrix.outputs.requireds }}
    steps:
      - uses: ljharb/actions/node/matrix@main
        id: set-matrix
        with:
          versionsAsRoot: true
          type: 'majors'
          preset: '^12 || ^14 || ^16 || >= 17'

  base:
    needs: [matrix]
    name: 'base config'
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest

    strategy:
      fail-fast: false
      matrix:
        node-version: ${{ fromJson(needs.matrix.outputs.latest) }}
        eslint:
          - 8
          - 7
        package:
          - eslint-config-airbnb-base
        exclude:
          - node-version: 10
            eslint: 8
            package: eslint-config-airbnb-base

    defaults:
      run:
        working-directory: "packages/${{ matrix.package }}"

    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v6
      - uses: ljharb/actions/node/install@main
        name: 'nvm install ${{ matrix.node-version }} && npm install'
        with:
          before_install: cd "packages/${{ matrix.package }}"
          node-version: ${{ matrix.node-version }}
          after_install: |
            npm install --no-save "eslint@${{ matrix.eslint }}"
      - run: node -pe "require('eslint/package.json').version"
        name: 'eslint version'
      - run: npm run travis
      - uses: codecov/codecov-action@v5

  react:
    needs: [matrix]
    name: 'react config'
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest

    strategy:
      fail-fast: false
      matrix:
        node-version: ${{ fromJson(needs.matrix.outputs.latest) }}
        eslint:
          - 8
          - 7
        package:
          - eslint-config-airbnb
        react-hooks:
          - 4

    defaults:
      run:
        working-directory: "packages/${{ matrix.package }}"

    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v6
      - uses: ljharb/actions/node/install@main
        name: 'nvm install ${{ matrix.node-version }} && npm install'
        with:
          before_install: cd "packages/${{ matrix.package }}"
          node-version: ${{ matrix.node-version }}
          after_install: |
            npm install --no-save "eslint@${{ matrix.eslint }}"
      - run: node -pe "require('eslint/package.json').version"
        name: 'eslint version'
      - run: npm install --no-save "eslint-plugin-react-hooks@${{ matrix.react-hooks }}"
        if: ${{ matrix.react-hooks > 0}}
      - run: npm run travis
      - uses: codecov/codecov-action@v5

  prepublish-base:
    name: 'prepublish tests (base config)'
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    strategy:
      fail-fast: false
      matrix:
        eslint:
          - 8
          - 7
        package:
          - eslint-config-airbnb-base

    defaults:
      run:
        working-directory: "packages/${{ matrix.package }}"

    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v6
      - uses: ljharb/actions/node/install@main
        name: 'nvm install lts/* && npm install'
        with:
          before_install: cd "packages/${{ matrix.package }}"
          node-version: lts/*
          after_install: |
            npm install --no-save "eslint@${{ matrix.eslint }}"
      - run: node -pe "require('eslint/package.json').version"
        name: 'eslint version'
      - run: npm run pretravis
      - run: npm run prepublishOnly
      - run: npm run posttravis

  prepublish-react:
    name: 'prepublish tests (react config)'
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    strategy:
      fail-fast: false
      matrix:
        eslint:
          - 8
          - 7
        package:
          - eslint-config-airbnb
        react-hooks:
          - 4

    defaults:
      run:
        working-directory: "packages/${{ matrix.package }}"

    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v6
      - uses: ljharb/actions/node/install@main
        name: 'nvm install lts/* && npm install'
        with:
          before_install: cd "packages/${{ matrix.package }}"
          node-version: lts/*
          after_install: |
            npm install --no-save "eslint@${{ matrix.eslint }}"
      - run: npm install --no-save "eslint-plugin-react-hooks@${{ matrix.react-hooks }}"
        if: ${{ matrix.react-hooks > 0}}
      - run: node -pe "require('eslint/package.json').version"
        name: 'eslint version'
      - run: npm run pretravis
      - run: npm run prepublishOnly
      - run: npm run posttravis

  node:
    name: 'node 10+'
    needs: [base, prepublish-base, react, prepublish-react]
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - run: 'echo tests completed'

The same workflow, on Latchkey

Removes redundant runs and caps runaway jobs. Added and changed lines are highlighted.

name: 'Tests: node.js'
 
on: [pull_request, push]
 
permissions:
  contents: read
 
concurrency:
  group: ${{ github.workflow }}-${{ github.ref }}
  cancel-in-progress: true
 
jobs:
  matrix:
    timeout-minutes: 30
    runs-on: latchkey-small
    outputs:
      latest: ${{ steps.set-matrix.outputs.requireds }}
    steps:
      - uses: ljharb/actions/node/matrix@main
        id: set-matrix
        with:
          versionsAsRoot: true
          type: 'majors'
          preset: '^12 || ^14 || ^16 || >= 17'
 
  base:
    timeout-minutes: 30
    needs: [matrix]
    name: 'base config'
    runs-on: latchkey-small
 
    strategy:
      fail-fast: false
      matrix:
        node-version: ${{ fromJson(needs.matrix.outputs.latest) }}
        eslint:
          - 8
          - 7
        package:
          - eslint-config-airbnb-base
        exclude:
          - node-version: 10
            eslint: 8
            package: eslint-config-airbnb-base
 
    defaults:
      run:
        working-directory: "packages/${{ matrix.package }}"
 
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v6
      - uses: ljharb/actions/node/install@main
        name: 'nvm install ${{ matrix.node-version }} && npm install'
        with:
          before_install: cd "packages/${{ matrix.package }}"
          node-version: ${{ matrix.node-version }}
          after_install: |
            npm install --no-save "eslint@${{ matrix.eslint }}"
      - run: node -pe "require('eslint/package.json').version"
        name: 'eslint version'
      - run: npm run travis
      - uses: codecov/codecov-action@v5
 
  react:
    timeout-minutes: 30
    needs: [matrix]
    name: 'react config'
    runs-on: latchkey-small
 
    strategy:
      fail-fast: false
      matrix:
        node-version: ${{ fromJson(needs.matrix.outputs.latest) }}
        eslint:
          - 8
          - 7
        package:
          - eslint-config-airbnb
        react-hooks:
          - 4
 
    defaults:
      run:
        working-directory: "packages/${{ matrix.package }}"
 
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v6
      - uses: ljharb/actions/node/install@main
        name: 'nvm install ${{ matrix.node-version }} && npm install'
        with:
          before_install: cd "packages/${{ matrix.package }}"
          node-version: ${{ matrix.node-version }}
          after_install: |
            npm install --no-save "eslint@${{ matrix.eslint }}"
      - run: node -pe "require('eslint/package.json').version"
        name: 'eslint version'
      - run: npm install --no-save "eslint-plugin-react-hooks@${{ matrix.react-hooks }}"
        if: ${{ matrix.react-hooks > 0}}
      - run: npm run travis
      - uses: codecov/codecov-action@v5
 
  prepublish-base:
    timeout-minutes: 30
    name: 'prepublish tests (base config)'
    runs-on: latchkey-small
    strategy:
      fail-fast: false
      matrix:
        eslint:
          - 8
          - 7
        package:
          - eslint-config-airbnb-base
 
    defaults:
      run:
        working-directory: "packages/${{ matrix.package }}"
 
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v6
      - uses: ljharb/actions/node/install@main
        name: 'nvm install lts/* && npm install'
        with:
          before_install: cd "packages/${{ matrix.package }}"
          node-version: lts/*
          after_install: |
            npm install --no-save "eslint@${{ matrix.eslint }}"
      - run: node -pe "require('eslint/package.json').version"
        name: 'eslint version'
      - run: npm run pretravis
      - run: npm run prepublishOnly
      - run: npm run posttravis
 
  prepublish-react:
    timeout-minutes: 30
    name: 'prepublish tests (react config)'
    runs-on: latchkey-small
    strategy:
      fail-fast: false
      matrix:
        eslint:
          - 8
          - 7
        package:
          - eslint-config-airbnb
        react-hooks:
          - 4
 
    defaults:
      run:
        working-directory: "packages/${{ matrix.package }}"
 
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v6
      - uses: ljharb/actions/node/install@main
        name: 'nvm install lts/* && npm install'
        with:
          before_install: cd "packages/${{ matrix.package }}"
          node-version: lts/*
          after_install: |
            npm install --no-save "eslint@${{ matrix.eslint }}"
      - run: npm install --no-save "eslint-plugin-react-hooks@${{ matrix.react-hooks }}"
        if: ${{ matrix.react-hooks > 0}}
      - run: node -pe "require('eslint/package.json').version"
        name: 'eslint version'
      - run: npm run pretravis
      - run: npm run prepublishOnly
      - run: npm run posttravis
 
  node:
    timeout-minutes: 30
    name: 'node 10+'
    needs: [base, prepublish-base, react, prepublish-react]
    runs-on: latchkey-small
    steps:
      - run: 'echo tests completed'

What changed

Run on Latchkey managed runners with one line (runs-on), which apply the fixes below automatically and self-heal transient failures. This example uses latchkey-small; pick the runner size that fits the job.
Cancel superseded runs when a branch or PR gets a newer push.
Add a job timeout so a hung step cannot burn hours of runner time.

2 third-party actions are referenced by a movable tag. Pin them to the commit SHA (Latchkey resolves and applies this automatically) so a repointed tag cannot change what runs.

What Latchkey heals here

This workflow has steps that commonly fail on transient issues (network, registries, flaky browsers). On Latchkey managed runners they are detected, retried, and self-healed instead of failing your build:

Dependency installs

This workflow runs 6 jobs (10 with the matrix expanded) per trigger. On Latchkey the same minutes cost up to 58% less than GitHub-hosted, with zero queue time.

Actions used in this workflow

actions/checkout codecov/codecov-action