Best Practices to clean up GitHub Actions Workspace

 

 

GitHub Actions is a powerful and popular automation tool that allows developers to automate their software workflows. It provides an environment for running scripts, testing code, and deploying applications. One of the key features of GitHub Actions is its ability to create a workspace where code can be checked out and built.

However, as with any tool that generates files, GitHub Actions can create clutter in the workspace. This clutter can cause issues with build failures, errors, and storage limitations. Therefore, it is essential to properly clean up the GitHub Actions workspace after every job. In this blog, we will discuss how to clean up the workspace and the best practices to follow.

What is the GitHub Actions Workspace?

The GitHub Actions workspace is a directory in the runner machine that GitHub creates for each job in a workflow. It is the working directory where code is checked out, built, and processed during the workflow. The workspace directory can be accessed using the ${{github.workspace}} variable in the workflow file.

Why Clean Up the GitHub Actions Workspace?

When a GitHub Actions workflow runs, it can generate temporary files, build artifacts, logs, and other files that are no longer needed after the workflow completes. These files can accumulate over time and consume valuable storage space on the runner machine. They can also cause build failures and errors if not cleaned up properly.

Cleaning up the GitHub Actions workspace after every job is crucial to keep the runner machine clean and optimized. It can help prevent issues related to storage limitations, build failures, and errors caused by clutter in the workspace.

Best Practices for Cleaning up the GitHub Actions Workspace

1. Use Temporary Directories
One of the best practices for cleaning up the GitHub Actions workspace is to use temporary directories for storing build artifacts, logs, and other files. Temporary directories are created during the workflow and deleted after the job completes. This approach ensures that the workspace remains clean and clutter-free.

Here is an example of how to create and use temporary directories in a workflow:

  
  jobs:
  build:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Create Temporary Directory
        run: mkdir -p ${{github.workspace}}/tmp

      - name: Build Project
        run: |
          # Build project
          ...

      - name: Move Build Artifacts to Temporary Directory
        run: |
          # Move build artifacts to temporary directory
          ...

      - name: Archive Build Artifacts
        run: |
          # Archive build artifacts
          ...

      - name: Clean Up Temporary Directory
        run: rm -rf ${{github.workspace}}/tmp

  
  

2. Use Built-in Actions
GitHub provides built-in actions for cleaning up the workspace after every job. These actions ensure that all temporary files, build artifacts, logs, and other files are deleted before the job completes. Using built-in actions can simplify the workflow and ensure that the workspace remains clean.

Here is an example of how to use the built-in actions/cache and actions/checkout actions to clean up the workspace:

  
  jobs:
  build:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v2

      - name: Build Project
        run: |
          # Build project
          ...

      - name: Cache Dependencies
        uses: actions/cache@v2
        with:
          path: |
            # List of directories to cache
            ...
          key: ${{ runner.os }}-dependencies-${{ hashFiles('**/lockfiles') }}
          restore-keys: |
            ${{ runner.os }}-dependencies-

      - name: Archive Build Artifacts
        run: |
          # Archive build artifacts
          ...

      - name: Clean Up Workspace
        run: rm -rf ${{ github.workspace }}
``