Node.js CI workflow (krisk/Fuse)

The Node.js CI workflow from krisk/Fuse, explained and optimized by Latchkey.

What it does

This is the Node.js CI workflow from the krisk/Fuse 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

name: Node.js CI

on:
  push:
    branches:
      - main
  pull_request:
    branches:
      - main

concurrency:
  group: ${{ github.workflow }}-${{ github.head_ref || github.ref }}
  cancel-in-progress: true

jobs:
  build:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest

    strategy:
      matrix:
        node: [20, 22, 24]

    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
        with:
          node-version: ${{ matrix.node }}
      - run: npm install --prefer-offline --no-audit --no-fund
      # The build tool (tsdown) requires Node >= 22.18. The published library and
      # its tests still run on Node 20: that leg tests the committed dist rather
      # than rebuilding. Node 22/24 rebuild from source before testing.
      - run: npm run build
        if: matrix.node != '20'
      - run: npm run test

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.js CI
 
on:
  push:
    branches:
      - main
  pull_request:
    branches:
      - main
 
concurrency:
  group: ${{ github.workflow }}-${{ github.head_ref || github.ref }}
  cancel-in-progress: true
 
jobs:
  build:
    timeout-minutes: 30
    runs-on: latchkey-small
 
    strategy:
      matrix:
        node: [20, 22, 24]
 
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
        with:
          cache: 'npm'
          node-version: ${{ matrix.node }}
      - run: npm install --prefer-offline --no-audit --no-fund
      # The build tool (tsdown) requires Node >= 22.18. The published library and
      # its tests still run on Node 20: that leg tests the committed dist rather
      # than rebuilding. Node 22/24 rebuild from source before testing.
      - run: npm run build
        if: matrix.node != '20'
      - run: npm run test
 

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 1 job (3 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