GitHub Actions Masterclass: From Beginner to Advanced
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GitHub Actions Masterclass: From Beginner to Advanced
This course is part of Mastering GitHub for Developers and DevOps Specialization
Included with
Recommended experience
Recommended experience
What you'll learn
Automate CI/CD workflows with GitHub Actions, triggers, and runners
Build, customize, and optimize workflows using YAML, expressions, and variables
Develop and integrate custom GitHub Actions, including Docker-based solutions
Secure workflows with best practices for concurrency and sensitive data handling
Skills you'll gain
Tools you'll learn
Details to know
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There are 19 modules in this course
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A smarter way to learn with interactive, real-time conversations that help you test your knowledge, challenge assumptions, and deepen your understanding as you progress through the course. Master GitHub Actions from the ground up in this comprehensive masterclass! Whether you’re just starting or aiming to deepen your expertise, this course will take you step-by-step through GitHub Actions concepts. You'll learn to automate workflows, handle triggers, manage inputs/outputs, and develop custom actions, equipping you with all the tools to build advanced CI/CD pipelines. By the end of this course, you'll be adept at optimizing and securing workflows and managing concurrent processes seamlessly. This course follows a structured approach: beginning with setting up your environment and GitHub repository, you’ll dive into the fundamentals of workflows, triggers, and runner environments. You will then explore advanced features like expressions, event filters, caching, artifacts, and matrices. Along the way, hands-on exercises and solutions will reinforce key concepts, and you will tackle real-world scenarios with increasing complexity. In the latter part of the course, you’ll build custom GitHub Actions, create reusable workflows, handle concurrency, and secure your workflows to ensure they’re safe from vulnerabilities. By the course’s end, you'll have a robust understanding of GitHub Actions, ready to integrate these automated workflows into real-world projects and teams. This course is perfect for developers, DevOps engineers, or anyone looking to master GitHub Actions for CI/CD automation. No prior experience with GitHub Actions is required, but familiarity with GitHub and basic programming concepts will be helpful.
In this module, we will introduce the course structure and objectives, ensuring you have a clear roadmap for mastering GitHub Actions. You’ll also learn how to navigate course materials and leverage resources effectively to optimize your learning experience.
What's included
2 videos2 readings
2 videos•Total 4 minutes
- Welcome to the Course!•1 minute
- Navigating Through the Course•3 minutes
2 readings•Total 20 minutes
- Introduction to the Course 'GitHub Actions Masterclass: From Beginner to Advanced'•10 minutes
- Full Course Resources•10 minutes
In this module, we will guide you through setting up the essential tools and environment needed for GitHub Actions. You’ll install NodeJS, configure GitHub Codespaces, create a repository, and gain a foundational understanding of YAML, which is critical for defining workflows.
What's included
4 videos1 assignment
4 videos•Total 20 minutes
- Installing NodeJS•5 minutes
- Setting Up an Environment with GitHub Codespaces•3 minutes
- Creating a GitHub Repository for Our Work•7 minutes
- Quick Introduction to YAML in 5 Minutes•6 minutes
1 assignment•Total 15 minutes
- Setting Up Tools and Environment - Assessment•15 minutes
In this module, we will break down the fundamental building blocks of GitHub Actions. You’ll explore workflows, jobs, and steps in detail, and apply your knowledge by creating and reviewing a simple workflow.
What's included
2 videos1 assignment
2 videos•Total 19 minutes
- Building Blocks of GitHub Actions•6 minutes
- Exercise 01 - Solution and Review•13 minutes
1 assignment•Total 15 minutes
- Fundamentals of GitHub Actions - Assessment•15 minutes
In this module, we will explore how workflows are triggered by different events in GitHub Actions. You’ll learn about event types, create workflows that respond to them, and review practical implementations to solidify your understanding.
What's included
2 videos1 assignment
2 videos•Total 19 minutes
- Workflow Events Explained•4 minutes
- Exercise 02 - Solution and Discussion•14 minutes
1 assignment•Total 15 minutes
- Understanding Workflow Triggers - Assessment•15 minutes
In this module, we will examine the role of workflow runners, helping you understand when to use GitHub-hosted or self-hosted runners. Through exercises, you’ll configure workflows on different runners and analyze performance considerations.
What's included
2 videos1 assignment
2 videos•Total 13 minutes
- Understanding GitHub and Self-Hosted Runners•5 minutes
- Exercise 03 - Solution and Review•8 minutes
1 assignment•Total 15 minutes
- Using Workflow Runners - Assessment•15 minutes
In this module, we will explore the GitHub Actions Marketplace and how to utilize pre-built actions. You’ll integrate these actions into your workflows and review practical implementations to enhance automation efficiency.
What's included
2 videos1 assignment
2 videos•Total 26 minutes
- Using Pre-Built Actions•10 minutes
- Exercise 04 - Solution and Discussion•16 minutes
1 assignment•Total 15 minutes
- Leveraging Third-Party Actions - Assessment•15 minutes
In this module, we will dive into event filters and activity types, helping you fine-tune when and how workflows are triggered. You’ll gain hands-on experience in applying these concepts to create more precise automation strategies.
What's included
3 videos1 assignment
3 videos•Total 22 minutes
- Understanding Event Filters•6 minutes
- Understanding Activity Types•6 minutes
- Exercise 05 - Solution and Review•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 15 minutes
- Using Event Filters and Activity Types - Assessment•15 minutes
In this module, we will break down the concept of contexts in GitHub Actions and explore their significance. You’ll learn how to use context variables to make workflows more dynamic and data-driven.
What's included
2 videos1 assignment
2 videos•Total 24 minutes
- What Are Contexts?•5 minutes
- Exercise 06 - Solution and Discussion•18 minutes
1 assignment•Total 15 minutes
- Working with Contexts - Assessment•15 minutes
In this module, we will explore expressions and variables, key components that enable flexibility in workflows. You’ll practice implementing expressions, managing environment variables, and utilizing them effectively in workflow automation.
What's included
5 videos1 assignment
5 videos•Total 44 minutes
- Understanding Expressions•3 minutes
- Exercise 07 - Solution and Discussion•13 minutes
- Working with Variables•3 minutes
- Exercise 08 - Solution and Review•9 minutes
- Exercise 09 - Solution and Discussion•15 minutes
1 assignment•Total 15 minutes
- Expressions and Variables in GitHub Actions - Assessment•15 minutes
In this module, we will introduce functions in GitHub Actions and their application in workflows. You’ll learn how to use them effectively to create more dynamic and efficient automation processes.
What's included
2 videos1 assignment
2 videos•Total 26 minutes
- Understanding Functions•9 minutes
- Exercise 10 - Solution and Discussion•17 minutes
1 assignment•Total 15 minutes
- Working with Functions in Workflows - Assessment•15 minutes
In this module, we will focus on managing workflow execution flow, including job dependencies and conditional execution. You’ll explore best practices to ensure smooth workflow progression and efficiency.
What's included
2 videos1 assignment
2 videos•Total 18 minutes
- Controlling the Execution Flow in Workflows•4 minutes
- Exercise 11 - Solution and Review•14 minutes
1 assignment•Total 15 minutes
- Managing Workflow Execution Flow - Assessment•15 minutes
In this module, we will explore how to handle inputs and outputs in GitHub Actions. You’ll learn to pass data effectively between jobs and workflows, enabling better automation control and flexibility.
What's included
5 videos1 assignment
5 videos•Total 34 minutes
- Understanding Inputs•3 minutes
- Exercise 12 - Solution and Review•11 minutes
- Understanding Outputs•4 minutes
- Exercise 13 - Solution and Discussion•8 minutes
- Exercise 14 - Solution and Review•8 minutes
1 assignment•Total 15 minutes
- Handling Inputs and Outputs - Assessment•15 minutes
In this module, we will dive into caching and artifact management, key techniques to enhance workflow efficiency. You’ll learn to reduce execution times using caching and store critical data using artifacts.
What's included
5 videos1 assignment
5 videos•Total 54 minutes
- Understanding Caching•4 minutes
- Exercise 15 - Solution and Discussion•18 minutes
- Exercise 16 - Solution and Review•8 minutes
- Understanding Artifacts•3 minutes
- Exercise 17 - Solution and Review•21 minutes
1 assignment•Total 15 minutes
- Sharing Data with Caching and Artifacts - Assessment•15 minutes
In this module, we will explore matrices in GitHub Actions and their role in optimizing workflow execution. You’ll learn how to use matrices for parallelization and configuration control.
What's included
4 videos1 assignment
4 videos•Total 34 minutes
- Understanding Matrices•4 minutes
- Exercise 18 - Solution and Discussion•13 minutes
- Exercise 19 - Solution and Review•12 minutes
- Exercise 20 - Solution and Review•5 minutes
1 assignment•Total 15 minutes
- Using Matrices in Workflows - Assessment•15 minutes
In this module, we will focus on environments and their role in secure and controlled workflow execution. You’ll learn how to set up environments and integrate them into your automation processes.
What's included
2 videos1 assignment
2 videos•Total 20 minutes
- Understanding Environments•3 minutes
- Exercise 21 - Solution and Discussion•17 minutes
1 assignment•Total 15 minutes
- Working with Environments - Assessment•15 minutes
In this module, we will guide you through the process of creating custom GitHub Actions. You’ll develop actions from scratch using JavaScript and Docker, adding advanced functionality step by step.
What's included
13 videos1 assignment
13 videos•Total 176 minutes
- Developing Custom Actions from Scratch•4 minutes
- Exercise 22 - Solution and Discussion•11 minutes
- Exercise 23 - Solution and Discussion•18 minutes
- Exercise 24 - Solution and Review - Part 1•13 minutes
- Exercise 24 - Solution and Review - Part 2•10 minutes
- Exercise 25 - Solution and Review - Part 1•19 minutes
- Exercise 25 - Solution and Review - Part 2•7 minutes
- Exercise 26 - Solution and Review - Part 1•23 minutes
- Exercise 26 - Solution and Review - Part 2•21 minutes
- Exercise 27 - Solution and Review - Part 1•5 minutes
- Exercise 27 - Solution and Review - Part 2•13 minutes
- Exercise 28 - Solution and Discussion•16 minutes
- Exercise 29 - Solution and Discussion•17 minutes
1 assignment•Total 15 minutes
- Building Custom Actions from Scratch - Assessment•15 minutes
In this module, we will explore reusable workflows, a powerful way to streamline automation. You’ll learn to create, share, and customize reusable workflows for greater efficiency.
What's included
5 videos1 assignment
5 videos•Total 55 minutes
- Understanding Reusable Workflows•6 minutes
- Exercise 30 - Solution and Discussion•11 minutes
- Exercise 31 - Solution and Review - Part 1•11 minutes
- Exercise 31 - Solution and Review - Part 2•25 minutes
- Exercise 31 - Solution and Review - Part 3•1 minute
1 assignment•Total 15 minutes
- Creating and Using Reusable Workflows - Assessment•15 minutes
In this module, we will focus on concurrency management in GitHub Actions. You’ll explore strategies to prevent workflow conflicts and ensure smooth execution.
What's included
3 videos1 assignment
3 videos•Total 19 minutes
- Managing Concurrency in Workflows•7 minutes
- Exercise 32 - Solution and Review•7 minutes
- Exercise 33 - Solution and Review•6 minutes
1 assignment•Total 15 minutes
- Handling Concurrency in Workflows - Assessment•15 minutes
In this module, we will cover security best practices in GitHub Actions. You’ll learn how to protect workflows from vulnerabilities and apply security-focused solutions in your automation pipelines.
What's included
3 videos1 reading3 assignments
3 videos•Total 31 minutes
- Understanding Workflow Security•16 minutes
- Exercise 34 - Solution and Review•8 minutes
- Exercise 35 - Solution and Review•7 minutes
1 reading•Total 10 minutes
- Conclusion to the Course 'GitHub Actions Masterclass: From Beginner to Advanced'•10 minutes
3 assignments•Total 90 minutes
- Ensuring Workflow Security - Assessment •15 minutes
- Full Course Assessment•60 minutes
- Full Course Practice Assessment•15 minutes
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