CI workflow (MikeMcl/big.js)

The CI workflow from MikeMcl/big.js, explained and optimized by Latchkey.

What it does

This is the CI workflow from the MikeMcl/big.js 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

name: CI

on:
  push:
    branches: [main]
  pull_request:
    branches: [main]

jobs:
  test:
    name: Test on Node.js ${{ matrix.node-version }}
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest

    strategy:
      matrix:
        node-version: ['8', '18', '20', '22']
      fail-fast: false

    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: Use Node.js ${{ matrix.node-version }}
        uses: actions/setup-node@v4
        with:
          node-version: ${{ matrix.node-version }}

      - name: Run Tests
        run: npm 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: CI
 
on:
  push:
    branches: [main]
  pull_request:
    branches: [main]
 
concurrency:
  group: ${{ github.workflow }}-${{ github.ref }}
  cancel-in-progress: true
 
jobs:
  test:
    timeout-minutes: 30
    name: Test on Node.js ${{ matrix.node-version }}
    runs-on: latchkey-small
 
    strategy:
      matrix:
        node-version: ['8', '18', '20', '22']
      fail-fast: false
 
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
 
      - name: Use Node.js ${{ matrix.node-version }}
        uses: actions/setup-node@v4
        with:
          cache: 'npm'
          node-version: ${{ matrix.node-version }}
 
      - name: Run Tests
        run: npm 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.
• Cancel superseded runs when a branch or PR gets a newer push.
• 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.

This workflow runs 1 job (4 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