GitHub has introduced a workflow tool called GitHub Actions to its popular code-sharing site, to allow continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) right from GitHub itself.
Using the tool, which is now in limited beta, developers can build, deploy, and update software projects on either GitHub or an external system without having to run code themselves. Workflows and infrastructure deployments can be expressed as code.
Actions adds customizable workflow capabilities to GitHub.com, so developers build and share code containers to run a software development workflow, even across multiple clouds. Other examples of tasks that can be done with actions include packaging an NPM module or sending an SMS alert.
GitHub Actions is similar to the Apple Shortcuts task management app or the If This Then That (IFTTT) app for communication among devices and apps, but unlike those technologies GitHub Actions is powered by containers.
Developers can pair their tools and integrations with custom actions or those shared by the community.
GitHub Actions will be free for open source use but will require payment for commercial use.