GitHub Actions Workshop

Master GitHub Actions with hands-on labs and exercises. Learn how to automate workflows, run tests, deploy applications, and more using GitHub's powerful automation platform. This repository has everything you need to get started with continuous integration and continuous deployment.

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Lab: ASP.NET Web App - Upload and Download Artifacts Across Multiple OS

Introduction

In this lab, you will learn how to create a GitHub Actions workflow that uploads and downloads artifacts across multiple operating systems. You will configure a workflow to build an ASP.NET Core application on Windows, Ubuntu, and macOS, upload the generated artifacts, and then download and verify these artifacts.

Duration: 30-45 minutes

Prerequisites

  1. Complete the Create ASP.NET Web App lab to set up your ASP.NET Core project.
  2. Ensure you have a basic understanding of GitHub Actions workflows, including uploading and downloading artifacts.

Instructions

Step 1: Create a New Workflow File

  1. Open your project directory in Visual Studio Code.
  2. Navigate to the .github/workflows directory in the root of your repository.
  3. Create a new file named upload-and-download-artifact-multiple-os.yml.

Step 2: Define Workflow Name and Trigger

  1. Open the newly created file and define the workflow name and trigger conditions:

    name: Upload and Download Artifact on Multiple Operating Systems

on:
  push:
    paths:
      - '.github/workflows/upload-and-download-artifact-multiple-os.yml'
      - 'src/dotnet/WebApp/**'
  workflow_dispatch:
    • push trigger: Runs the workflow when changes are pushed to specific paths.
    • workflow_dispatch trigger: Allows you to manually trigger the workflow.

Step 3: Add the Upload Job

  1. Add a jobs section to define the upload job, which builds and uploads artifacts across multiple operating systems.

  2. Use a matrix strategy to specify the OS:

    jobs:
  upload:
    strategy:
      matrix:
        os: [ubuntu-latest, windows-latest, macos-latest]
    runs-on: $
    defaults:
      run:
        working-directory: ./src/dotnet/WebApp
        shell: bash
    steps:
      - name: Checkout Code
        uses: actions/checkout@v4.1.7

      - name: Set up .NET Core
        uses: actions/setup-dotnet@v4.0.1
        with:
          dotnet-version: '8.x'

      - name: Build Code
        run: dotnet build --configuration Release

      - name: Publish Code
        run: |
          if [[ "$RUNNER_OS" == "Windows" ]]; then
            PUBLISH_DIR="$\\webapp"
          else
            PUBLISH_DIR="$/webapp"
          fi

          mkdir -p "$PUBLISH_DIR"
          dotnet publish -c Release --output "$PUBLISH_DIR"
          ls "$PUBLISH_DIR"

      - name: Upload Artifact
        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4.3.6
        with:
          name: '.net-web-app-$'
          path: $/webapp
    • Matrix strategy: Executes the job for all three operating systems.
    • Dynamic artifact names: Includes the OS in the artifact name for easy identification.

Step 4: Add the Download Job

  1. Add the download job to retrieve the uploaded artifacts and verify them:

    download:
  strategy:
    matrix:
      os: [ubuntu-latest, windows-latest, macos-latest]
  runs-on: $
  needs: upload
  defaults:
    run:
      shell: bash
  steps:
    - name: Download Artifact
      uses: actions/download-artifact@v4.1.8
      with:
        name: '.net-web-app-$'

    - name: List Downloaded Files
      run: ls -R ./downloaded-artifacts

    - name: Verify Artifact Content
      run: echo "Downloaded artifact verified successfully."
    • needs keyword: Ensures the download job runs only after the upload job completes.
    • Listing files: Provides visual confirmation of downloaded artifact contents.

Step 5: Save and Push Changes

  1. Save the file and commit your changes with a descriptive message, e.g., "Add workflow for artifact upload and download on multiple OS".
  2. Push the changes to your GitHub repository.

Step 6: Run and Monitor the Workflow

  1. Navigate to the Actions tab in your GitHub repository.
  2. Select the Upload and Download Artifact on Multiple Operating Systems workflow.
  3. Trigger the workflow manually using the Run workflow button or push a change to a monitored path.

Step 7: Verify Uploaded and Downloaded Artifacts

  1. After the workflow completes:
    • Open the upload job summary and confirm that artifacts are uploaded successfully for all operating systems.
    • Review the download job logs to ensure artifacts were downloaded and listed correctly.
  2. Download the artifacts from the Artifacts section on the workflow summary page and inspect them locally to verify their contents.

Summary

In this lab, you created a GitHub Actions workflow to upload and download artifacts across multiple operating systems. You used matrix strategies to build and publish your ASP.NET Core application for Windows, Ubuntu, and macOS. Finally, you verified the workflow by downloading and inspecting the artifacts.

Additional Resources