GH-200 GitHub Actions Exam Questions and Answers

The publish-npm job includes the JS-DevTools/npm-publish action, which is used to publish an npm package to an npm registry.

The publish-npm job has the needs: build directive, meaning it will only run after the build job successfully completes.

Job outputs are used to pass data from one job to another in a workflow. A job can produce output values (like variables or files), which can be referenced by subsequent jobs using the needs keyword and ${{ steps.step_id.outputs.output_name }} syntax.

Artifact storage allows data (such as files or results) to be saved by a job and then retrieved by another job in a later step. This is commonly used for passing large amounts of data or files between jobs.

The runs-on keyword allows you to specify the operating system and other labels for the runner. By specifying self-hosted, windows, and x64, you are targeting a self-hosted Windows runner that matches these criteria, which aligns with the custom configuration of your self-hosted runner.

The provided event trigger block specifies two types of events:

For issues: the workflow triggers on opened or edited issues.

For issue_comment: the workflow triggers when an issue comment is created.

This configuration ensures the workflow will run when either an issue is opened or edited, or an issue comment is created.

Scheduled workflows in GitHub Actions are triggered at specified times, and they run on the latest commit of the branch that triggers the workflow. This means the workflow will run on the most recent commit on the branch that was active at the time the scheduled event occurs.

In a Docker container action, the action.yml file includes the runs.using field, which is set to docker to specify that the action runs inside a Docker container. This is the key indicator that the action is a Docker container action.

First, the dataset should be encrypted before being stored. This ensures that the data is protected when stored in a repository.

The encrypted dataset can be stored in a GitHub secret, ensuring it is securely kept and not exposed publicly.

The encryption key needed to decrypt the dataset should also be stored in a GitHub secret to maintain security during the workflow, allowing access only when needed.

The GITHUB_REF environment variable specifies the branch or tag that triggered the workflow. It contains the full reference to the branch or tag, such as refs/heads/main for a branch or refs/tags/v1.0 for a tag.

The needs context is used to reference the outputs of jobs that are dependencies of the current job. In this case, needs.job1.outputs.output1 correctly accesses the output of output1 from the job job1 in the dependent job.

Caching is ideal for files that change rarely, such as dependencies or build outputs, as it speeds up subsequent workflow runs by reusing previously cached files instead of re-downloading or rebuilding them.

Artifacts are used for persisting files produced during a job that need to be used in later jobs or after the workflow has ended, allowing them to be downloaded or referenced later.

The smallest scope for an environment variable is within a step. Environment variables defined within a step are only accessible to that particular step, which makes it the smallest scope for a variable in a GitHub Actions workflow.

A non-zero exit code is used to set the status of an action to "failed" in GitHub Actions. When the action's script or code exits with a non-zero status, it indicates failure, and GitHub will mark the action as failed.

Searching the GitHub Marketplace for verified actions published by the cloud provider is the quickest and safest approach. Many cloud providers offer verified GitHub Actions that are maintained and optimized to interact with their services. These actions typically come with the correct configurations and best practices, allowing you to get started quickly without reinventing the wheel.

The best way for an enterprise to control which GitHub Actions run is by creating a list of approved actions as an enterprise policy. This approach restricts workflows to only use the actions that are explicitly allowed, ensuring security and compliance within the organization.

The correct syntax for specifying a cleanup script to be run after the main entry point is executed in a Docker-based GitHub Action is to use the post key. This ensures that cleanup.sh runs after the main script (main.sh) has completed.

Actions stored in private repositories within the organization can be reused across all repositories by referencing them in workflows. This ensures a centralized way of maintaining custom actions.

Encrypted secrets can be accessed across repositories in the same organization, making it easy to store sensitive data (like API keys or tokens) securely while allowing multiple workflows to access them.

Workflow templates allow you to create reusable templates for workflows that can be shared across repositories within the organization. This makes it easier to standardize processes and automate them across multiple projects.

The Actions tab on the main page of the repository is where you can find detailed information about the workflow runs, including step failures and build logs. You can review the status of each job and step within the workflow, see the failure messages, and access logs for debugging.

The workflow_call event is used to trigger a reusable workflow from another workflow. This allows you to create workflows that can be reused in multiple places within your organization, enabling better modularity and reducing duplication.