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I use Actions merely as a way to trigger a custom Webhook. Then I do everything on the server that receives the hook with my own code. I hate YAML that much.

dietrichepp 2y ago
What I want is something like “please run this command on a server somewhere when event X happens”. Seems like the options are along the lines of: 1. SaaS CI/CD products, like GitHub Actions, 2. Run your own Jenkins cluster, 3. Figure out how to orchestrate cloud resources to do this for you. Maybe there are easy options that I’m missing. I don’t really want to create docker containers just to build some program I’m working on.
- timewizard 2y ago
  That's effectively what we are doing. The webhook receives any "custom properties" you have defined on your repo, the ssh url, and critically, the name of the Action that was run. The receiving server can use all of this to select the appropriate pipeline. Our build server is not containerized.
- CrimsonRain 2y ago
  Listen to a port from a server. Do a post with an API key. Then run your bash script there. Run GitHub actions self hosted (takes 2 mins to setup) Just ssh in and run it. So many options.
  - dietrichepp 2y ago
    Sounds like you are assuming that I have a server always running for this stuff? That assumption is wrong. I don’t want to run CI servers. If I had servers always running, I would install Jenkins on them and the problem would be solved.
    - CrimsonRain 2y ago
      I don't understand your issue. If you are doing deployments, actions etc does exactly that. Run pure bash commands or whatever. If you want it for other purposes, you essentially want to run a "server" application but don't want to manage a server. Just use serverless? Write a JS function (or some other languages) and the platform will run it when the event triggers.
arccy 2y ago
why not just use regular GitHub webhooks...
- timewizard 2y ago
  We do, but you can only trigger those on predefined events, and we want our release manager to be independent of any push or pull mechanisms on the repo. You can also run actions from the github web ui which makes them available even to non technical managers. Our Action has a single step, it has an "if: false" declaration so it never runs, and no runners are engaged. This immediately completes and fires off a "workflow_job" webhook which triggers the build server to act.

dietrichepp 2y ago

What I want is something like “please run this command on a server somewhere when event X happens”. Seems like the options are along the lines of: 1. SaaS CI/CD products, like GitHub Actions, 2. Run your own Jenkins cluster, 3. Figure out how to orchestrate cloud resources to do this for you. Maybe there are easy options that I’m missing. I don’t really want to create docker containers just to build some program I’m working on.

timewizard 2y ago
That's effectively what we are doing. The webhook receives any "custom properties" you have defined on your repo, the ssh url, and critically, the name of the Action that was run. The receiving server can use all of this to select the appropriate pipeline. Our build server is not containerized.
CrimsonRain 2y ago
Listen to a port from a server. Do a post with an API key. Then run your bash script there. Run GitHub actions self hosted (takes 2 mins to setup) Just ssh in and run it. So many options.
- dietrichepp 2y ago
  Sounds like you are assuming that I have a server always running for this stuff? That assumption is wrong. I don’t want to run CI servers. If I had servers always running, I would install Jenkins on them and the problem would be solved.
  - CrimsonRain 2y ago
    I don't understand your issue. If you are doing deployments, actions etc does exactly that. Run pure bash commands or whatever. If you want it for other purposes, you essentially want to run a "server" application but don't want to manage a server. Just use serverless? Write a JS function (or some other languages) and the platform will run it when the event triggers.

arccy 2y ago

why not just use regular GitHub webhooks...

timewizard 2y ago
We do, but you can only trigger those on predefined events, and we want our release manager to be independent of any push or pull mechanisms on the repo. You can also run actions from the github web ui which makes them available even to non technical managers. Our Action has a single step, it has an "if: false" declaration so it never runs, and no runners are engaged. This immediately completes and fires off a "workflow_job" webhook which triggers the build server to act.