GitHub Actions Cert Prep by Microsoft Press

Prepare for the certification exam for GitHub Actions.

Introduction

• Introduction

1. Trigger Custom Workflows

• Learning objectives
• Configure workflows to run for one or more events
• Configure workflows to run for scheduled events
• Configure workflows to run for manual events
• Configure workflows to run for webhook events
• Demonstrate a GitHub event to trigger a workflow based on a practical use case

2. Utilize Workflow Components

• Learning objectives
• Identify the correct syntax for workflow jobs
• Use job steps for actions and shell commands
• Use conditional keywords for steps
• Describe how actions, workflows, jobs, steps, runs, and the marketplace work together
• Identify scenarios suited for using GitHub-hosted and self-hosted runners
• Implement workflow commands as a run step to communicate with the runner
• Demonstrate the use of dependent jobs

3. Secure Workflow Data

• Learning objectives
• Use encrypted secrets to store sensitive information
• Identify the available default environment variables during the construction of the workflow
• Identify the location to set custom environment variables in a workflow
• Identify when to use the github_token secret
• Demonstrate how to use workflow commands to set environment variables

4. Craft Purposeful Workflows

• Learning objectives
• Add a script to a workflow
• Demonstrate how to publish to GitHub Packages using a workflow
• Demonstrate how to publish to GitHub container registry using a workflow
• Use database and service containers in a GitHub actions workflow
• Use labels to route workflows to specific runners
• Use codeql as a step in a workflow
• Demonstrate how to publish a component as a GitHub release using GitHub actions
• Deploy a release to a cloud provider using a GitHub actions workflow

5. Optimize Workflow Runs

• Learning objectives
• Configure caching of workflow dependencies
• Identify steps to pass data between jobs in a workflow
• Remove workflow artifacts from GitHub
• Add a workflow status badge
• Add environment protections
• Define a matrix of different job configurations
• Implement workflow approval gates

6. Analyze Workflow Effects

• Learning objectives
• Identify the event that triggered a workflow from its effects in a repository, issue, or pull request
• Describe a workflow's effects from reading its configuration file
• Diagnose a failed workflow run
• Identify ways to access the workflow logs from the user interface
• Identify ways to access the workflow logs from the REST API in GitHub
• Enable step debug logging in a workflow
• Demonstrate how to use default environment variables in a workflow
• Demonstrate the correct syntax for passing custom environment variables in a workflow step

7. Navigate Workflow Assets

• Learning objectives
• Describe where to locate a workflow in a repository
• Explain the difference between disabling and deleting a workflows
• Demonstrate how to download workflow artifacts from the user interface
• Describe how to use an organization's templated workflow

8. Employ Trustworthy Actions

• Learning objectives
• Define the indicators of what makes a trustworthy action
• Identify an action's type, inputs, and outputs
• Demonstrate how to use the specific version of an action in a workflow

9. Select Action Types

• Learning objectives
• Identify the type of action required for a given problem
• Demonstrate how to troubleshoot javascript and docker container actions

10. Detail Action Components

• Learning objectives
• Identify the files and directory structure needed to create an action
• Identify the metadata and syntax needed to create an action
• Implement workflow commands within an action to communicate with the runner, including exit codes

11. Distribute Custom Actions

• Learning objectives
• Identify how to select an appropriate distribution model for an action
• Identify the best practices for distributing custom actions
• Demonstrate how to create a release strategy for an action
• Demonstrate how to publish an action to the GitHub marketplace

12. Propagate Enterprise Actions

• Learning objectives
• Explain reuse templates for actions and workflows
• Define an approach for managing and leveraging reusable components
• Define how to distribute actions for an enterprise
• Define how to control access to actions within the enterprise
• Configure organizational use policies for GitHub actions

13. Administer Enterprise Runners

• Learning objectives
• Describe the effects of configuring IP allow lists on GitHub-hosted and self-hosted runners
• Describe how to select appropriate runners to support workloads
• Explain the difference between GitHub-hosted and self-hosted runners
• Configure self-hosted runners for enterprise use
• Demonstrate how to manage self-hosted runners using groups
• Demonstrate how to monitor, troubleshoot, and update self-hosted runners

14. Guard Enterprise Secrets

• Learning objectives
• Identify the scope of encrypted secrets
• Demonstrate how to access encrypted secrets within actions and workflows
• Explain how to manage organization-level encrypted secrets
• Explain how to manage repository-level encrypted secrets

Summary

• Summary