front matter
foreword
With the introduction of GitHub Actions, the GitHub universe has quickly expanded from a place that we go to get open source code to one where we build, create, and release open source binary artifacts. It is truly the hub where our coding adventures begin. This book that Michael, Marcel, and Rob have written together here is a brilliant introduction to not just GitHub Actions but the larger GitHub ecosystem.
In this book, the authors will walk you through a complete understanding of how GitHub Actions can be utilized and how surprisingly powerful it is. Certainly, Actions can build source code, and it is a fantastic tool for continuous integration and continuous deployment. But you’ll soon realize that Actions is far more than just a build tool—it’s actually an incredibly capable and complete automation platform you can use to run automations and workflows of any kind!
You might think a book like this is just for the most advanced and senior engineers. However, what they’ve put together is a gentle introduction that will take you from a complete beginner to an advanced GitHub Actions connoisseur. I love that the book includes real-world examples. I especially enjoyed how much I learned about self-hosted runners that allow you to run your own Actions environments on your own locally supported systems. These runners are open source and a testament to the GitHub ecosystem and how it all snaps together.