cakebaker / base-vm

The base vm template

Run GitHub CI in BaseVM

Use this action to run your CI in BaseVM.

The github workflow only supports Ubuntu, Windows and MacOS. But what if you need to use BaseVM?

This action is to support BaseVM.

Sample workflow test.yml:

name: Test

on: [push]

jobs:
  test:
    runs-on: ubuntu-22.04
    name: A job to run test in BaseVM
    env:
      MYTOKEN : ${{ secrets.MYTOKEN }}
      MYTOKEN2: "value2"
    steps:
    - uses: actions/checkout@v3
    - name: Test in BaseVM
      id: test
      uses: vmactions/base-vm@
      with:
        envs: 'MYTOKEN MYTOKEN2'
        usesh: true
        prepare: |
          pkg install -y curl

        run: |
          pwd
          ls -lah
          whoami
          env
          freebsd-version

The latest major version is: , which is the most recommended to use. (You can also use the latest full version: )

The runs-on: ubuntu-22.04 must be ubuntu-22.04.

The envs: 'MYTOKEN MYTOKEN2' is the env names that you want to pass into the vm.

The run: xxxxx is the command you want to run in the vm.

The env variables are all copied into the VM, and the source code and directory are all synchronized into the VM.

The working dir for run in the VM is the same as in the Host machine.

All the source code tree in the Host machine are mounted into the VM.

All the GITHUB_* as well as CI=true env variables are passed into the VM.

So, you will have the same directory and same default env variables when you run the CI script.

The default shell in BaseVM is csh, if you want to use sh to execute the run script, please set usesh to true.

The code is shared from the host to the VM via rsync, you can choose to use to sshfs share code instead.

...

    steps:
    - uses: actions/checkout@v3
    - name: Test
      id: test
      uses: vmactions/base-vm@
      with:
        envs: 'MYTOKEN MYTOKEN2'
        usesh: true
        sync: sshfs
        prepare: |
          pkg install -y curl



...

When using rsync, you can define copyback: false to not copy files back from the VM in to the host.

...

    steps:
    - uses: actions/checkout@v3
    - name: Test
      id: test
      uses: vmactions/base-vm@
      with:
        envs: 'MYTOKEN MYTOKEN2'
        usesh: true
        sync: rsync
        copyback: false
        prepare: |
          pkg install -y curl



...

You can add NAT port between the host and the VM.

...
    steps:
    - uses: actions/checkout@v3
    - name: Test
      id: test
      uses: vmactions/base-vm@
      with:
        envs: 'MYTOKEN MYTOKEN2'
        usesh: true
        nat: |
          "8080": "80"
          "8443": "443"
          udp:"8081": "80"
...

The default memory of the VM is 1024MB, you can use mem option to set the memory size:

...
    steps:
    - uses: actions/checkout@v3
    - name: Test
      id: test
      uses: vmactions/base-vm@
      with:
        envs: 'MYTOKEN MYTOKEN2'
        usesh: true
        mem: 2048
...

It uses the latest BaseVM 13.1 by default, you can use release option to use another version of BaseVM:

...
    steps:
    - uses: actions/checkout@v3
    - name: Test
      id: test
      uses: vmactions/base-vm@
      with:
        release: 13.2
...

All the supported releases are here: BaseVM 12.3, 13.0, 13.1

Under the hood

We use Qemu and Libvirt to run the BaseVM VM.

Upcoming features:

1. Runs on MacOS to use cpu accelaration.
2. Support ARM and other architecture.