How I Made My First GitHub Action Work (With Google's Help)

Let me tell you how it actually went the first time I tried setting up a GitHub Action:

1. Pushed code
2. Waited anxiously
3. Saw a scary ❌ error
4. Googled like my life depended on it
5. Made it work anyway

Day 2 of my #90DaysOfBuilding journey

The GitHub Actions Promise

GitHub Actions promises to automate your workflows: run tests automatically, deploy your code, and more – all triggered by events in your repository like pushes or pull requests.

It sounds magical... until you try to set it up for the first time.

The Real Story

I was building a community platform prototype (part of my path toward launching a startup), and wanted to automate testing to save time.

The YouTube tutorials made it look so easy:

1. Create a .github/workflows folder
2. Add a YAML file
3. Push and you're done!

What they didn't show: my YAML file had more bugs than my app 😅

Common GitHub Actions Errors I Faced

Before we get to the solution, here are some errors that had me pulling my hair out:

1. Indentation errors

   Error: Your workflow file was invalid: The workflow is not valid. 
   .github/workflows/main.yml (Line: 15, Col: 3): Unexpected value 'with'

1. Missing required fields

   Error: Invalid workflow file: .github/workflows/main.yml#L15
   The workflow is not valid. .github/workflows/main.yml (Line: 15, Col: 13): 
   Required property 'runs-on' not found

1. Path issues with actions

   Error: Could not resolve action, did you mean 'actions/checkout@v2'?

The Breakthrough Solution

After much trial and error, I discovered you only need 3 key parts to get started with a basic CI pipeline for a Node.js project:

name: CI

on: [push]

jobs:
  build:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v3
      - name: Setup Node
        uses: actions/setup-node@v4
        with:
          node-version: 18
      - run: npm install
      - run: npm test

Let's break this down:

1. name: A friendly name for your workflow
2. on: What triggers this workflow (in this case, any push to the repository)
3. jobs: The tasks to perform
   • build: The name of this job
     • runs-on: The type of machine to run on
     • steps: The individual actions to take
     • Check out the code
     • Set up Node.js
     • Install dependencies
     • Run tests

What Actually Helped Me Succeed

After struggling with the syntax, here's what worked for me:

1. Reading Other Developers' YAML Files

GitHub is full of public repositories with working Actions. I found projects similar to mine and analyzed their workflow files.

For example, here's the workflow from a popular Node.js project:

name: Tests

on:
  push:
    branches: [ main ]
  pull_request:
    branches: [ main ]

jobs:
  test:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    strategy:
      matrix:
        node-version: [14.x, 16.x, 18.x]
    steps:
    - uses: actions/checkout@v3
    - name: Use Node.js ${{ matrix.node-version }}
      uses: actions/setup-node@v3
      with:
        node-version: ${{ matrix.node-version }}
        cache: 'npm'
    - run: npm ci
    - run: npm test

This taught me about the matrix strategy for testing across multiple Node versions!

2. Googling Every Line I Didn't Understand

The GitHub Actions documentation is comprehensive, but sometimes overwhelming. I found it more helpful to:

1. Search for specific error messages
2. Look up individual actions (like actions/checkout@v3)
3. Find beginner-friendly blog posts with examples

3. Testing on a Small Toy Repo First

Instead of trying to set up CI/CD for my main project right away, I created a tiny test repository with:

• A simple Node.js app
• A basic test suite
• A GitHub Actions workflow

This allowed me to experiment without breaking anything important.

Beyond the Basics: What I Added Next

Once I had the basic CI working, I gradually added more features:

1. Environment Variables

jobs:
  build:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    env:
      NODE_ENV: test
      DB_CONNECTION: mock
    steps:
      # ... steps here

2. Caching Dependencies

- uses: actions/checkout@v3
- name: Setup Node
  uses: actions/setup-node@v4
  with:
    node-version: 18
    cache: 'npm'
- run: npm install

3. Conditional Steps

- name: Deploy to Production
  if: github.ref == 'refs/heads/main'
  run: npm run deploy

The Impact on My Builder Journey

Now, every time I push code, tests run automatically. This small automation saves me hours each week that I can use to learn more and build faster.

No more "oops I forgot to test." No more "it works on my machine."

Just clean, repeatable CI magic that makes my projects more professional as I work toward building my first startup.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

1. YAML indentation: Spaces matter! YAML is very strict about indentation.
2. Forgetting uses: When referencing external actions, you need the uses keyword.
3. Path issues: Make sure your test scripts match what's in your package.json.
4. Environment secrets: Don't hardcode API keys; use GitHub Secrets instead.

Practical Example: Complete Workflow for a Node.js API

Here's a more complete example of a workflow I use for a Node.js API project:

name: Node.js API CI

on:
  push:
    branches: [ main, develop ]
  pull_request:
    branches: [ main, develop ]

jobs:
  test:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest

    services:
      # Mock database for testing
      mongodb:
        image: mongo:4.4
        ports:
          - 27017:27017

    steps:
    - uses: actions/checkout@v3

    - name: Use Node.js
      uses: actions/setup-node@v4
      with:
        node-version: '18'
        cache: 'npm'

    - name: Install dependencies
      run: npm ci

    - name: Lint code
      run: npm run lint

    - name: Run tests
      run: npm test
      env:
        NODE_ENV: test
        MONGODB_URI: mongodb://localhost:27017/test-db

    - name: Build
      run: npm run build

    - name: Upload coverage reports
      uses: codecov/codecov-action@v3
      with:
        token: ${{ secrets.CODECOV_TOKEN }}

To My Fellow Builders

If you're curious about GitHub Actions, don't wait to feel ready. Break something small, Google a lot, and build from there.

You'll get it. And when you do, share what you've learned.

That's how we all rise together. 🚀

Resources That Helped Me

1. GitHub Actions official documentation
2. GitHub Actions Marketplace
3. GitHub Actions by Example
4. Shield.io Badges - Add those cool status badges to your README

What's Next?

I'm planning to launch a weekly coding session soon where we'll go through DevOps basics for beginners. If you found this helpful, follow me here on Dev.to or connect on [Twitter/LinkedIn] to stay updated!

What was your first GitHub Actions experience like? Let me know in the comments!

Happy automating! 🤖