GitHub Actions for Azure

Integrate your Azure workflows seamlessly with GitHub Actions. Automate deployments, build processes, and manage your Azure resources directly from your GitHub repositories.

Key Concepts

GitHub Actions is a CI/CD platform that allows you to automate software development workflows. When combined with Azure, you can achieve powerful end-to-end automation.

Workflows

Workflows are automated processes that can be run when specific events occur in your GitHub repository (e.g., push, pull request, scheduled events). They are defined in YAML files stored in the .github/workflows directory of your repository.

Events

Events trigger workflows. Common Azure-related events include:

Jobs

A job is a set of steps that are executed on a runner. Jobs in a workflow can run in parallel or sequentially.

Steps

Steps are individual tasks within a job. They can be commands, scripts, or predefined actions.

Actions

Actions are reusable units of code that can perform complex tasks. Microsoft provides a rich set of official Azure Actions for common scenarios.

Common Azure Actions

Authenticating with Azure

Before performing any Azure operations, you need to authenticate. The recommended way is to use the azure/login action.


- name: Log in to Azure
  uses: azure/login@v1
  with:
    creds: ${{ secrets.AZURE_CREDENTIALS }}

The secrets.AZURE_CREDENTIALS secret should contain your Azure service principal credentials in JSON format.

Deploying to Azure App Service

Automate the deployment of your web applications to Azure App Service.


- name: Deploy to Azure App Service
  uses: azure/webapps-deploy@v2
  with:
    app-name: my-azure-app
    package: ./app.zip

Deploying to Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)

Deploy your containerized applications to AKS.


- name: Deploy to AKS
  uses: azure/aks-deploy@v1
  with:
    cluster-name: my-aks-cluster
    resource-group: my-resource-group
    kubeconfig: ${{ secrets.KUBECONFIG }}
    manifests: |
      manifests/deployment.yaml
      manifests/service.yaml

Running Azure CLI Commands

Execute any Azure CLI command within your workflow.


- name: Run Azure CLI command
  run: az group create --name my-resource-group --location eastus

Getting Started

  1. Create a Service Principal: In your Azure subscription, create a service principal with the necessary permissions for your GitHub Actions workflows.
  2. Store Credentials as a Secret: In your GitHub repository's settings, go to "Secrets and variables" > "Actions" and add a new repository secret named AZURE_CREDENTIALS. Paste the JSON output of your service principal credentials into this secret.
  3. Create a Workflow File: In your repository, create a directory named .github/workflows and add a YAML file (e.g., azure_deploy.yml).
  4. Define Your Workflow: Add the necessary steps to your YAML file, including authentication and the specific Azure actions you want to use.
Tip: Always scope your service principal's permissions to the minimum required for your workflow to enhance security.

Further Resources