Exams Vouchers: GitHub Actions (GH-200)

Certify your proficiency in automating workflows and accelerating development with GitHub Actions. Test your skills in streamlining workflows, automating tasks, and optimizing software pipelines, including CI/CD—all within customizable workflows. Once achieved, the certification will be valid for two years.

You will be assessed on the following:

• Domain 1: Author and maintain workflows 40%
• Domain 2: Consume workflows 20%
• Domain 3: Author and maintain actions 25%
• Domain 4: Manage GitHub Actions for the enterprise 15%

Domain 1: Author and maintain workflows (40%)

Work with events that trigger workflows

• Configure workflows to run for one or more events
• Configure workflows to run for scheduled events
• Configure workflows to run for manual events
• Configure workflows to run for webhook events (e.g., check_run, check_suite, deployment, etc.)
• Demonstrate a GitHub event to trigger a workflow based on a practical use case

Use the components of a workflow

• Identify the correct syntax for workflow jobs (e.g., indentation and encapsulation of parts of the workflow)
• Use job steps for actions and shell commands
• Use conditional keywords for steps
• Describe how actions, workflows, jobs, steps, runs, and the marketplace work together
• Identify scenarios suited for using GitHub-hosted and self-hosted runners
• Implement workflow commands as a run step to communicate with the runner
• Demonstrate the use of dependent jobs

Use encrypted secrets and environment variables as part of a workflow

• Use encrypted secrets to store sensitive information
• Identify the available default environment variables during the construction of the workflow
• Identify the location to set custom environment variables in a workflow
• Identify when to use the GITHUB_TOKEN secret
• Demonstrate how to use workflow commands to set environment variables

Create a workflow for a particular purpose

• Add a script to a workflow
• Demonstrate how to publish to GitHub Packages using a workflow
• Demonstrate how to publish to GitHub Container Registry using a workflow
• Use database and service containers in a GitHub Actions workflow
• Use labels to route workflows to specific runners
• Use CodeQL as a step in a workflow
• Demonstrate how to publish a component as a GitHub release using GitHub Actions
• Deploy a release to a cloud provider using a GitHub Actions workflow

Domain 2: Consume workflows (20%)

Interpret the effects of a workflow

• Identify the event that triggered a workflow from its effects in a repository, issue, or pull request
• Describe a workflow’s effects from reading its configuration file
• Diagnose a failed workflow run (e.g., using a workflow run history and its logs, determine why a workflow run may have failed)
• Identify ways to access the workflow logs from the user interface
• Identify ways to access the workflow logs from GitHub’s REST API
• Enable step debug logging in a workflow
• Demonstrate how to use default environment variables in a workflow
• Demonstrate the correct syntax for passing custom environment variables in a workflow step

Manage workflow runs

• Configure caching of workflow dependencies
• Identify steps to pass data between jobs in a workflow
• Remove workflow artifacts from GitHub
• Add a workflow status badge
• Add environment protections
• Define a matrix of different job configurations
• Implement workflow approval gates

Locate a workflow, its logs, and artifacts

• Describe where to locate a workflow in a repository
• Explain the difference between disabling and deleting of workflows
• Demonstrate how to download workflow artifacts from the user interface
• Describe how to use an organization’s templated workflow

Domain 3: Author and maintain actions (25%)

Use available action types

• Identify the type of action required for a given problem (e.g., JavaScript, Docker container, run step)
• Demonstrate how to troubleshoot JavaScript actions
• Demonstrate how to troubleshoot Docker container actions

Describe the components of an action

• Identify the files and directory structure needed to create an action
• Identify the metadata and syntax needed to create an action
• Implement workflow commands within an action to communicate with the runner (Note: this includes exit codes)

Domain 4: Manage GitHub Actions in the enterprise (15%)

Distribute actions and workflows to the enterprise

• Explain reuse templates for actions and workflows
• Define an approach for managing and leveraging reusable components (e.g., repos for storage, naming conventions for files/folders, and plans for ongoing maintenance)
• Define how to distribute actions for an enterprise
• Define how to control access to actions within the enterprise
• Configure organizational use policies for GitHub Actions

Manage runners for the enterprise

• Describe the effects of configuring IP allow lists on GitHub-hosted and self-hosted runners
• Describe how to select appropriate runners to support workloads (e.g., using a self-hosted versus GitHub-hosted runner, choosing supported operating systems)
• Explain the difference between GitHub-hosted and self-hosted runners
• Configure self-hosted runners for enterprise use (e.g., including proxies, labels, networking)
• Demonstrate how to manage self-hosted runners using groups (e.g., managing access, moving runners into and between groups)
• Demonstrate how to monitor, troubleshoot, and update self-hosted runners

Manage encrypted secrets in the enterprise

• Identify the scope of encrypted secrets
• Demonstrate how to access encrypted secrets within actions and workflows
• Explain how to manage organization-level encrypted secrets
• Explain how to manage repository-level encrypted secrets

It is recommended that students have attended the following course before attempting the exam:

• Automate your workflow with GitHub Actions - GH200