github-actions

title	GitHub Actions Configuration
description	Configuration guide for GitHub Actions workflows and CI/CD setup for the Edge AI Accelerator repository
author	Edge AI Team
ms.date	2025-06-06
ms.topic	hub-page
estimated_reading_time	7
keywords	github-actions workflows ci-cd configuration automation terraform bicep infrastructure as code service principal azure authentication megalinter security scanning pull request validation deployment reusable workflows template workflows

This repository can be cloned and used as the base image for an IaC repo with integrated CI/CD. There is minimal configuration required to enable the workflows, though fully automated, IaC-based setup is under design/construction.

Engineering Principles

This project follows a set of guiding principles for all development and automation:

• All IaC goes through a validation process on commit
• All IaC dependencies are monitored for outdated packages
• A reasonable effort will be made to test all IaC
• All Iac changes can be easily checked against
• empty environments
• QA and Integration Environments
• Pre-production environments, and
• Production Environments
• All IaC changes will produce detailed deployment plans for security reviews
• All IaC changes will use a decimal system for process organization
• All build processes will be built on each pull request
• Key build processes will be run on each merge to main
• All workflow components should be templatized for reuse and consistency
• Workflow templates should be modular and parameterized for flexibility and reuse

Build Feature Sets

The build workflow provides several key features, with more on the way:

• Checks Terraform Provider versions for update opportunities and publishes build warning
• Runs a lightweight vulnerability scan for all dependant packages
• Runs file linting on a wide variety of languages and file types using MegaLinter
• Performs a matrix build on only resources that have been modified in the current PR
• Publishes Terraform Plans for all changed resources within the current PR
• Runs unit tests on changed Terraform within the current PR
• Provides modular, reusable workflow components for flexible workflow creation
• Ensures consistent validation steps across all workflows through shared components
• Enables PR comment integration for linting results through MegaLinter
• Optimizes workflow performance with intelligent caching mechanisms

Getting Started

The following sections will walk you through the process of configuring GitHub Actions for this repository.

Create GitHub Service Principal in Azure

Default practices for establishing connections between GitHub Actions and an Azure subscription is through the use of a Service Principal. Please follow the Azure documentation for creating a GitHub Action Authentication in your subscription, before proceeding. We recommend using contributor rights until further, fine-grained access guidance is added to this repository.

Configure GitHub Secrets

After creating the service principal, you'll need to store the credentials as GitHub Secrets:

1. Navigate to your GitHub repository
2. Go to "Settings" → "Secrets and variables" → "Actions"
3. Add the following secrets:
   • AZURE_CLIENT_ID: The Application (client) ID of the service principal
   • AZURE_TENANT_ID: The Azure tenant ID
   • AZURE_SUBSCRIPTION_ID: The Azure subscription ID
   • AZURE_CLIENT_SECRET: The service principal's client secret

GitHub Actions Workflow System

This repository implements a modular approach to workflow definitions. Instead of monolithic workflow files, we break down common tasks into reusable components that can be combined in different ways. This approach provides several benefits:

1. Consistency: Ensures the same validation steps are applied across all workflows
2. Maintainability: Changes to a workflow component only need to be made in one place
3. Reusability: Common tasks can be easily reused across different workflows and copied/referenced for additional projects
4. Flexibility: Components can be parameterized for different scenarios

Core CI/CD Orchestration Workflows

The repository includes two primary workflows that orchestrate the overall CI/CD process:

Workflow	Trigger	Purpose
main.yml	Push to main branch, manual trigger	Complete validation and deployment to environments
pr-validation.yml	Pull requests to main branch	Validates changes before merging to ensure code quality

These core workflows typically call the template workflows above in a specific sequence, providing a comprehensive validation and deployment process.

Available Template Workflows

The following reusable template workflows are available in the .github/workflows directory:

Workflow	Purpose	Documentation
aio-version-checker.yml	Checks component versions against latest available releases	Workflow Documentation
cluster-test-terraform.yml	Performs comprehensive testing of Terraform modules against real clusters	Workflow Documentation
docs-check-bicep.yml	Validates documentation quality including Bicep docs and URL checks	Workflow Documentation
docs-check-terraform.yml	Validates documentation quality including Terraform docs and URL checks	Workflow Documentation
matrix-folder-check.yml	Creates dynamic matrices of changed folders for downstream jobs	Workflow Documentation
megalinter.yml	Provides linting capabilities across multiple languages and file formats	Workflow Documentation
pages-deploy.yml	Deploys documentation to GitHub Pages	Workflow Documentation
resource-provider-pwsh-tests.yml	Validates Azure resource provider registration scripts	Workflow Documentation
variable-compliance-bicep.yml	Ensures consistent Bicep variable definitions across modules	Workflow Documentation
variable-compliance-terraform.yml	Ensures consistent Terraform variable definitions across modules	Workflow Documentation

Note: All workflow documentation follows a standardized format that includes overview, features, parameters, usage examples, implementation details, and troubleshooting sections. This consistent structure makes it easier to learn and use the workflows effectively.

Core CI/CD Workflows

The repository includes two primary workflows that orchestrate the overall CI/CD process:

Workflow	Trigger	Purpose	Documentation
main.yml	Push to main branch, manual trigger	Complete validation and deployment to environments	Workflow Documentation
pr-validation.yml	Pull requests to main branch	Validates changes before merging to ensure code quality	Workflow Documentation

Documentation Template

To maintain consistency across all workflow documentation, this repository includes a standardized documentation template. This template serves several important purposes:

• Provides a uniform structure for all workflow documentation
• Ensures comprehensive coverage of essential information (inputs, outputs, examples, etc.)
• Makes it easier for new team members to understand how GitHub Actions workflows work
• Helps GitHub Copilot generate properly formatted documentation when assisting with updates

When creating documentation for a new workflow or updating existing workflow documentation:

1. Use the workflow-template.md as a starting point
2. Replace the placeholder content with information specific to your workflow
3. Maintain the standardized formatting, especially for inputs and outputs tables
4. Include all relevant sections (Overview, Features, Inputs, Outputs, etc.)

This standardized approach significantly improves documentation quality and helps users find the information they need quickly and consistently across all workflows.

Pull Request Validation Workflow

The PR validation workflow is designed to:

1. Validate code quality (linting, formatting)
2. Check for security vulnerabilities
3. Validate Terraform configurations
4. Run tests on modified components
5. Generate Terraform plans for review

This ensures that code changes meet quality standards before being merged to the main branch. The workflow posts results directly to the pull request, making the review process more efficient.

Main Deployment Workflow

The main workflow is triggered when changes are merged to the main branch and handles:

1. Running all validation checks on the integrated codebase
2. Building necessary artifacts for deployment
3. Deploying to development environments automatically (if configured)
4. Preparing deployment plans for higher environments
5. Optionally deploying to production environments (with approvals)

This workflow implements the continuous deployment aspect of the CI/CD pipeline, ensuring that validated changes can be reliably deployed to target environments.

How to Use GitHub Workflows

GitHub Action workflows are defined in YAML files in the .github/workflows directory. They automatically run based on their configured triggers, such as push events or pull requests.

Example GitHub Action Workflow

name: Linting

on:
  pull_request:
    branches: [ main ]
  workflow_dispatch:

jobs:
  megalinter:
    name: MegaLinter
    uses: ./.github/workflows/megalinter.yml
    with:
      github_comment_reporter: true
      github_status_reporter: true
      validate_all_codebase: ${{ github.event_name == 'push' && github.ref == 'refs/heads/main' }}
    secrets: inherit

Required GitHub Secrets

The following secrets are required/optional to run this repository's main workflows. Please see Using secrets in GitHub Actions for this process.

Secret	Suggested value	Details
AZURE_SUBSCRIPTION_ID	Azure subscription GUID	Used for authenticating to Azure
AZURE_CLIENT_ID	Service Principal App ID	Used for authenticating to Azure
AZURE_TENANT_ID	Azure Tenant ID	Used for authenticating to Azure
AZURE_CLIENT_SECRET	Service Principal Secret	Used for authenticating to Azure
TF_VAR_CUSTOM_LOCATIONS_OID	OID of Arc Custom Location	Create and manage custom locations on Azure Arc-enabled Kubernetes

Environment Variables

The following environment variables can be configured in your workflows:

Variable	Suggested value	Details
TF_VAR_ENVIRONMENT	prod	e.g. dev, stage, prod
TF_VAR_EXISTING_RESOURCE_GROUP	build_system	useful for integration environments
TF_VAR_LOCATION	westus	Azure region to deploy to
TF_VAR_RESOURCE_PREFIX	build	prefix for all created resources
TF_VAR_VM_SKU_SIZE	Standard_D8s_v3	VM Size
TF_VAR_VM_USERNAME	VM admin user name	Username for provisioned VMs

Additional Resources

• GitHub Actions Documentation
• Workflow Syntax for GitHub Actions
• Azure Login Action
• Terraform GitHub Actions

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🤖 Crafted with precision by ✨Copilot following brilliant human instruction, then carefully refined by our team of discerning human reviewers.