What is GitHub Actions, and why is it used?

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GitHub Actions is a Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) feature provided by GitHub that allows developers to automate workflows directly within their repositories. It helps streamline software development tasks such as testing, building, and deploying code automatically when certain events occur (e.g., a push, pull request, or release). **1. Automation:** Executes tasks like running tests or deploying applications automatically after commits or merges. **2. Integration:** Works natively with GitHub repositories, eliminating the need for external CI/CD tools. **3. Custom Workflows:** Allows developers to define workflows using YAML files to specify jobs and steps. **4. Cross-Platform Support:** Supports multiple environments such as Linux, macOS, and Windows. **5. Community and Marketplace:** Offers pre-built actions from the GitHub Marketplace to simplify setup. name: CI

on: [push, pull_request]

jobs:
  build:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest

steps:
      - name: Checkout repository
        uses: actions/checkout@v4

- name: Set up Node.js
        uses: actions/setup-node@v4
        with:
          node-version: '18'

- name: Install dependencies
        run: npm install

- name: Run tests
        run: npm test In summary, GitHub Actions helps automate the software lifecycle — from testing and integration to deployment — directly within GitHub, improving productivity, consistency, and reliability in development workflows.

What is GitHub Actions, and why is it used?

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