How GitHub Actions can improve CI/CD and compares with Azure Pipelines
Tags: github, devops, githubactions, development
Published: 2023-02-14 11:24:37

---
title: How GitHub Actions can improve CI/CD and compares with Azure Pipelines
published: true
description: How GitHub Actions can improve CI/CD with some pros and cons and comparison to Azure DevOps Pipelines.
tags: 'github, devops, githubactions, development'
cover_image: 'https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Pwd9000-ML/blog-devto/main/posts/2023/GitHub-Actions-CICD/assets/main.png'
canonical_url: null
id: 1363756
date: '2023-02-14T11:24:37Z'
---

## Overview

![image.png](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Pwd9000-ML/blog-devto/main/posts/2023/GitHub-Actions-CICD/assets/flow2.png)

Continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) is a crucial aspect of modern software development. It involves automating the process of building, testing, and deploying software, allowing teams to release high-quality code more quickly and efficiently. **GitHub Actions** is a popular CI/CD tool that can help automate and streamline these processes. In this blog post, we'll explore how **GitHub Actions** can be used to improve CI/CD, and we'll consider some of the **pros** and **cons** of using this tool as well as **compare** it with another popular CI/CD tool, **Azure DevOps Pipelines**.

## What is GitHub Actions?

GitHub Actions is a powerful CI/CD tool that is built directly into the GitHub platform. It allows teams to create workflows that automate tasks like building, testing, and deploying software. Workflows are defined using a simple YAML syntax, and can leverage a variety of pre-built actions and integrations.

## How Can GitHub Actions Improve CI/CD?

GitHub Actions can improve CI/CD in a variety of ways. Here are just a few examples:

![image.png](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Pwd9000-ML/blog-devto/main/posts/2023/GitHub-Actions-CICD/assets/loop.png)

### Automate repetitive tasks

One of the main benefits of GitHub Actions is the ability to automate repetitive tasks. For example, you can set up workflows to automatically run tests every time a pull request is opened, ensuring that code changes are thoroughly tested before being merged. This can save developers a lot of time and reduce the risk of human error.

### Automated Deployment

Deploying software can also be a time-consuming and error-prone process. GitHub Actions can automate deployment by automatically building and deploying code to production environments whenever changes are made. This can help ensure that code is deployed quickly and reliably.

### Standardize processes

GitHub Actions can also help standardize processes across teams. By creating workflows that automate common tasks, teams can ensure that everyone is following the same processes and procedures, reducing the risk of human error and improving consistency.

### Improve visibility

GitHub Actions can also improve visibility into the CI/CD process. By creating workflows that update the status of pull requests or trigger notifications when builds fail, teams can quickly identify issues and take action to resolve them. This can help reduce downtime and improve overall efficiency.

### Speed up development

By automating common tasks and standardizing processes, GitHub Actions can help speed up development. Developers can spend less time on repetitive tasks and more time on innovation, allowing them to deliver features and functionality more quickly.

## Pros and Cons of Using GitHub Actions

While GitHub Actions can be a powerful tool for improving CI/CD, there are some pros and cons to consider.

![image.png](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Pwd9000-ML/blog-devto/main/posts/2023/GitHub-Actions-CICD/assets/comp.png)

### Pros

- **Easy to use**

GitHub Actions is built directly into the GitHub platform, making it easy to set up and use. Developers can create workflows using a simple YAML syntax, and can leverage a variety of pre-built actions and integrations.

- **Integrations**

GitHub Actions can be integrated with a wide variety of tools and services, including cloud platforms, build systems, and testing frameworks. This makes it easy to build workflows that fit the specific needs of your team.

- **Scalability**

GitHub Actions is designed to scale with your team and your project. Workflows can be run on a variety of platforms and environments, and can be parallelized to run multiple jobs simultaneously.

### Cons

- **Limited customization**

While GitHub Actions offers a wide variety of pre-built actions and integrations, there may be cases where you need more customization than is available out-of-the-box. In these cases, you may need to build your own custom actions, which can be time-consuming.

- **Vendor lock-in**

While GitHub Actions is an open platform, it is still tied to the GitHub ecosystem. This can be a concern for teams who want to maintain flexibility and avoid vendor lock-in.

- **Learning curve**

Like any new technology, there is a learning curve when it comes to using GitHub Actions. Teams may need to invest time and resources into learning the platform and how to build effective workflows.

## Comparing GitHub Actions with Azure DevOps Pipelines

GitHub Actions and Azure DevOps Pipelines are both popular CI/CD tools that can help automate and streamline software development processes. While both tools have similar goals, there are some key differences to consider when choosing between them.

![image.png](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Pwd9000-ML/blog-devto/main/posts/2023/GitHub-Actions-CICD/assets/vs.png)

### Integration with GitHub vs Azure DevOps

One significant difference between GitHub Actions and Azure DevOps Pipelines is their integration with their respective platforms. GitHub Actions is tightly integrated with the GitHub platform, while Azure DevOps Pipelines is part of the larger Azure DevOps suite of tools. This means that GitHub Actions workflows can leverage GitHub's features like code reviews, built-in code security, dependabot, and pull requests, while Azure DevOps Pipelines workflows can leverage the wider range of features offered by Azure DevOps.

### Ease of Use

GitHub Actions has a reputation for being very easy to use, with simple syntax and a user-friendly interface. Azure DevOps Pipelines can be a bit more complex to set up and configure, with a steeper learning curve. This may make GitHub Actions a better choice for small to medium-sized teams or those with less experience with CI/CD tools.

### Flexibility and Customization

Azure DevOps Pipelines is known for its flexibility and customisability, allowing teams to build highly customized workflows that fit their specific needs. GitHub Actions is more limited in terms of customization, although it does offer a wide range of pre-built actions and integrations.

### Scalability

Both GitHub Actions and Azure DevOps Pipelines are designed to be scalable, with the ability to run workflows in parallel and support for a wide range of environments and platforms. However, Azure DevOps Pipelines may have a slight edge in terms of scalability, with more advanced features and release management.

### Cost

Another difference is the pricing model. GitHub Actions is free for public repositories and offers a certain amount of free minutes for private repositories, while additional minutes can be purchased as needed. In contrast, Azure DevOps Pipelines offers a range of pricing options depending on the number of users and the amount of usage required.

## Conclusion

In terms of functionality, both GitHub Actions and Azure DevOps Pipelines offer similar features like automated testing and deployment, but there may be differences in the specific tools and integrations available. Ultimately, the choice between GitHub Actions and Azure DevOps Pipelines may depend on factors like the team's existing tools and workflows, as well as the specific requirements of the project.

Both GitHub Actions and Azure DevOps Pipelines are powerful CI/CD tools that can help automate and streamline software development processes. While each has its own strengths and weaknesses, the best choice for your team will depend on a variety of factors, including your existing infrastructure, your level of experience with CI/CD tools, and your specific workflow needs. By carefully evaluating the pros and cons of each tool, teams can make an informed decision about which tool is the best fit for their needs.

I hope you have enjoyed this post and have learned something new. :heart:

### _Author_

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