Microsoft GH-200 GitHub Actions Exam Exam Practice Test

Workflow commands are special commands that allow you to interact with the runner, set environment variables, output values, add debug messages, and perform other tasks within the workflow. These commands are used to modify the environment or influence the behavior of the GitHub Actions runner.

The matrix configuration specifies two variables: color and animal. The color variable has 2 values (green and pink), and the animal variable has 2 values (owl and magpie). This would result in 4 combinations (2 color values × 2 animal values). Additionally, the include section introduces two more combinations (color: blue and animal: owl; color: pink and animal: magpie).

A Docker container action is ideal for custom actions that require specific environments or dependencies, such as Python. By creating a Docker container, you can define the environment with the necessary Python version and dependencies, and your Python code can run inside that container.

The needs context is used to reference the outputs of jobs that are dependencies of the current job. In this case, needs.job1.outputs.output1 correctly accesses the output of output1 from the job job1 in the dependent job.

The action.yml file defines the inputs and outputs for a GitHub Action. This file contains metadata about the action, including the required inputs and outputs, as well as other configurations like the action's description, runs, and environment setup.

The correct syntax includes specifying the job (example-job), the runner (ubuntu-latest), and the necessary step (npm install -g bats) within the workflow. This ensures that the package is installed properly during the execution of the job.

Creating workflow templates in the organization’s .github repository allows the organization to standardize workflows and make them easily reusable across multiple repositories. This ensures consistency and simplifies maintenance.

Creating reusable actions and workflows that can be called from other workflows helps modularize and standardize automation tasks. These reusable components can be maintained centrally and called from different workflows across repositories.

The correct syntax for specifying a cleanup script to be run after the main entry point is executed in a Docker-based GitHub Action is to use the post key. This ensures that cleanup.sh runs after the main script (main.sh) has completed.

The GITHUB_ACTOR environment variable indicates the name of the person or app that initiated the workflow. This variable is automatically provided by GitHub in the workflow and can be used to identify the user or application triggering the workflow.

You can enable specific actions for the organization by identifying them and providing version control, ensuring only trusted versions are used in workflows.

GitHub-verified actions can be enabled at the enterprise level, providing an extra layer of security by ensuring that only trusted actions are available to workflows.

Actions can be published to an internal marketplace, allowing organizations to share reusable actions securely within their enterprise without exposing them to the public.

The GET /repos/:owner/:repo/actions/runs/:run_id/logs API endpoint is used to retrieve the logs of a specific workflow run identified by run_id. This is the correct method for downloading logs from a workflow run.

A composite action allows you to bundle multiple steps into a single reusable action within a workflow. It is composed of multiple run steps or other actions and can be reused across workflows, making it the perfect choice for bundling a series of steps.

GitHub Actions allows you to configure environment protection rules, where you can require specific users or teams to approve the deployment before the workflow proceeds to the next step. This ensures that the required reviewers approve the workflow before any sensitive actions (such as deployment) occur.

When troubleshooting a self-hosted runner, you can access the _diag folder located in the self-hosted runner's installation directory. This folder contains diagnostic logs that can help you identify the root cause of issues, such as connection problems.

Dockerfile: The Dockerfile is required for Docker container actions. It defines the environment for the action, specifying the base image, dependencies, and any commands to set up the action’s runtime inside the container.

action.yml: The action.yml file is required for all GitHub Actions, including Docker container actions. It contains metadata about the action, including the inputs, outputs, and the runtime environment (which in this case is Docker, defined under runs.using).

The runs-on keyword allows you to specify the operating system and other labels for the runner. By specifying self-hosted, windows, and x64, you are targeting a self-hosted Windows runner that matches these criteria, which aligns with the custom configuration of your self-hosted runner.

GitHub Actions supports the use of service containers, which allows you to spin up a PostgreSQL database (or any other service) in a Docker container during your workflow. You can pull a PostgreSQL image from Docker Hub, and the container will automatically be available to your workflow job. This method requires no additional infrastructure and is easy to configure and maintain, as you simply define the container in the workflow file.

To use a starter workflow provided by your organization, you need to go to the Actions tab in the repository and select New workflow. This option allows you to either create a new workflow or select from a list of available workflow templates, including starter workflows provided by your organization.

Using a tag is a best practice because tags are immutable and represent a fixed version of your action. By referencing tags, consumers of your action can be assured they are using a stable and specific version of the action, which helps in avoiding issues with breaking changes.

The commit SHA is another reliable way to specify a particular version of an action. By referencing a specific commit SHA, consumers can ensure they are using exactly the code that was written at that moment, avoiding the potential for changes in the future.

Searching the GitHub Marketplace for verified actions published by the cloud provider is the quickest and safest approach. Many cloud providers offer verified GitHub Actions that are maintained and optimized to interact with their services. These actions typically come with the correct configurations and best practices, allowing you to get started quickly without reinventing the wheel.

A non-zero exit code is used to set the status of an action to "failed" in GitHub Actions. When the action's script or code exits with a non-zero status, it indicates failure, and GitHub will mark the action as failed.