node-setup-and-dependencies

Table of contents

  1. Description
  2. Usage Example
    1. Basic Setup
    2. Npm Configuration
  3. Inputs

Description

This action sets up Node.js and npm based on specified versions and options, and installs dependencies. It’s ideal for creating customizable environments in GitHub Actions workflows that require both environment setup and dependency management. The process includes version management, optional checkout, dependency installation, and npm configuration.

Usage Example

Basic Setup 

steps:
  - name: Setup Node.js and Install dependencies
    uses: composite/node-npm-setup@v0 # This is the version of the action
    with:
      checkout-ref: <your-checkout-ref> # Use GitHub Actions context
      npm-install-options: '--ignore-scripts --no-audit'

This example demonstrates a basic setup where only essential npm install options are specified, ideal for most projects that do not require specific npm configurations. It uses common parameters to ensure a smooth installation process without scripts or audit checks.

Npm Configuration 

steps:
  - name: Setup Node.js and Install dependencies with specific npm settings
    uses: composite/node-npm-setup@v0 # This is the version of the action
    with:
      npm-registry-url: 'https://registry.npmjs.org' # Custom npm registry URL
      npm-scope: '@owner' # Custom scope for npm packages
      node-auth-token: <your-node-auth-token> # Use GitHub Secrets
      npm-install-options: '--ignore-scripts --no-audit'

This example is tailored for projects that need to interact with a specific npm registry or have private packages. It configures a custom registry URL, a scoped package environment, and authentication using a secret token. This setup is crucial for ensuring private packages are handled securely and effectively.

Inputs

Name Description Default Required
checkout-ref Specify the Git reference (branch, tag, commit SHA) to checkout.
This input can be set to checkout a branch other than the default GitHub Actions branch.
You can specify this using GitHub context variables to dynamically determine which reference to use based on the current workflow context.

For example, to use the branch that triggered the workflow, you can reference github.ref in your workflow configuration.
The github.head_ref context is particularly useful in pull request workflows, as it refers to the head branch of the pull request which is being merged from.		 ${{ github.head_ref }} no
create-inputs-summary Enable this option to generate a summary of the workflow inputs. Helpful for debugging and logs. false no
node-auth-token Provide an authentication token for operations requiring npm registry authentication. n/a no
node-caching Enable caching for Node.js dependencies.
Specify npm to cache npm dependencies, or leave blank to disable caching.		 npm no
node-version Set the Node.js version for the project.
If unspecified, the version specified in the .nvmrc file will be used if present.		 n/a no
node-version-file Set the path to a file containing the Node.js version, like .nvmrc, used for the project. .nvmrc no
npm-install-command Choose between ci (for installing stable dependencies) or install for a general installation. ci no
npm-install-options Specify additional options for npm install commands, such as --ignore-scripts to skip running scripts. n/a no
npm-registry-url Specify the npm registry URL.

For example, use https://registry.npmjs.org for npm’s default registry or https://npm.pkg.github.com for GitHub Packages.		 n/a no
npm-scope Specify the scope for npm package operations, which is typically used with private or scoped packages.

You can set this scope to match the owner of the GitHub repository by referring to the GitHub context variable for the repository owner.

This is particularly useful for projects that use GitHub Packages, where the scope is often set to the repository’s owner.		 n/a no
skip-checkout Specify whether to skip the checkout step.
Useful when the workflow already has the necessary codebase checked out.		 false no