Node CI workflow (apache/echarts)

The Node CI workflow from apache/echarts, explained and optimized by Latchkey.

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Source: apache/echarts.github/workflows/ci.ymlLicense Apache-2.0View source

What it does

This is the Node CI workflow from the apache/echarts repository, a real project running GitHub Actions. It is shown here with attribution under its Apache-2.0 license.

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

The workflow

workflow (.yml)

name: Node CI

on:
  pull_request:
    types: [opened, reopened, synchronize]

concurrency:
  # Note that the `teardown-pr-preview` workflow needs the same group name
  # to cancel the running `ci` workflows
  group: ${{ github.workflow }}-${{ github.event.number }}
  cancel-in-progress: true

jobs:
  lint:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest

    strategy:
      matrix:
        node-version: [20.x]

    steps:
      - name: Fetch commit count
        env:
          PR_COMMIT_COUNT: ${{ github.event.pull_request.commits }}
        run: |
          echo "FETCH_DEPTH=$(($PR_COMMIT_COUNT + 1))" >> $GITHUB_ENV

      - uses: actions/checkout@v6
        with:
          fetch-depth: ${{ env.FETCH_DEPTH }}

      - name: Use Node.js ${{ matrix.node-version }}
        uses: actions/setup-node@v6
        with:
          node-version: ${{ matrix.node-version }}

      - name: Cache node modules
        id: cache-dep
        uses: actions/cache@v5
        with:
          path: node_modules
          key: ${{ runner.os }}-node-modules-${{ hashFiles('**/package-lock.json') }}

      - name: Install dependencies
        if: steps.cache-dep.outputs.cache-hit != 'true'
        run: npm ci

      - name: Collect changed files
        run: |
          mkdir ~/tmp/
          git diff ${{ github.event.pull_request.base.sha }} ${{ github.sha }} --diff-filter=ACM --name-only --relative '*src/*.ts' '*src/**/*.ts' > ~/tmp/changed_files
          echo -e "Changed files: \n$(cat ~/tmp/changed_files)"

      - name: Lint
        run: npx eslint $(cat ~/tmp/changed_files)

      - name: Build generated types
        run: npm run build:lib

      - name: Check types
        run: npm run checktype

  build:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest

    strategy:
      matrix:
        node-version: [20.x]

    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v6

      - name: Use Node.js ${{ matrix.node-version }}
        uses: actions/setup-node@v6
        with:
          node-version: ${{ matrix.node-version }}

      - name: Cache node modules
        id: cache-dep
        uses: actions/cache@v5
        with:
          path: node_modules
          key: ${{ runner.os }}-node-modules-${{ hashFiles('**/package-lock.json') }}

      - name: Install dependencies
        if: steps.cache-dep.outputs.cache-hit != 'true'
        run: npm ci

      - name: Unit Test
        run: npm run test

      - name: Build release
        run: npm run release

      - name: Test generated DTS
        run: npm run test:dts

The same workflow, on Latchkey

Estimated ~20% faster on cache hits, plus fewer wasted runs and a safer supply chain. Added and changed lines are highlighted.

name: Node CI
 
on:
  pull_request:
    types: [opened, reopened, synchronize]
 
concurrency:
  # Note that the `teardown-pr-preview` workflow needs the same group name
  # to cancel the running `ci` workflows
  group: ${{ github.workflow }}-${{ github.event.number }}
  cancel-in-progress: true
 
jobs:
  lint:
    timeout-minutes: 30
    runs-on: latchkey-small
 
    strategy:
      matrix:
        node-version: [20.x]
 
    steps:
      - name: Fetch commit count
        env:
          PR_COMMIT_COUNT: ${{ github.event.pull_request.commits }}
        run: |
          echo "FETCH_DEPTH=$(($PR_COMMIT_COUNT + 1))" >> $GITHUB_ENV
 
      - uses: actions/checkout@v6
        with:
          fetch-depth: ${{ env.FETCH_DEPTH }}
 
      - name: Use Node.js ${{ matrix.node-version }}
        uses: actions/setup-node@v6
        with:
          cache: 'npm'
          node-version: ${{ matrix.node-version }}
 
      - name: Cache node modules
        id: cache-dep
        uses: actions/cache@v5
        with:
          path: node_modules
          key: ${{ runner.os }}-node-modules-${{ hashFiles('**/package-lock.json') }}
 
      - name: Install dependencies
        if: steps.cache-dep.outputs.cache-hit != 'true'
        run: npm ci
 
      - name: Collect changed files
        run: |
          mkdir ~/tmp/
          git diff ${{ github.event.pull_request.base.sha }} ${{ github.sha }} --diff-filter=ACM --name-only --relative '*src/*.ts' '*src/**/*.ts' > ~/tmp/changed_files
          echo -e "Changed files: \n$(cat ~/tmp/changed_files)"
 
      - name: Lint
        run: npx eslint $(cat ~/tmp/changed_files)
 
      - name: Build generated types
        run: npm run build:lib
 
      - name: Check types
        run: npm run checktype
 
  build:
    timeout-minutes: 30
    runs-on: latchkey-small
 
    strategy:
      matrix:
        node-version: [20.x]
 
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v6
 
      - name: Use Node.js ${{ matrix.node-version }}
        uses: actions/setup-node@v6
        with:
          cache: 'npm'
          node-version: ${{ matrix.node-version }}
 
      - name: Cache node modules
        id: cache-dep
        uses: actions/cache@v5
        with:
          path: node_modules
          key: ${{ runner.os }}-node-modules-${{ hashFiles('**/package-lock.json') }}
 
      - name: Install dependencies
        if: steps.cache-dep.outputs.cache-hit != 'true'
        run: npm ci
 
      - name: Unit Test
        run: npm run test
 
      - name: Build release
        run: npm run release
 
      - name: Test generated DTS
        run: npm run test:dts

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.
Cache dependency installs on the setup step so they are served from cache.
Add a job timeout so a hung step cannot burn hours of runner time.

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 2 jobs 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 actions/setup-node actions/cache