Service Containers

Service containers are Docker containers that provide a simple and portable way to host services that you might need to test or operate your application in a workflow. Typical examples are databases (PostgreSQL, MySQL, Redis).

Example Workflow

This example runs a Redis service container and connects to it from the job steps.

name: service-container-example
on: push

jobs:
  container-job:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest

    # Map the service to a container
    services:
      redis:
        image: redis
        # Map port 6379 on service container to the host
        ports:
          - 6379:6379
        options: >-
          --health-cmd "redis-cli ping"
          --health-interval 10s
          --health-timeout 5s
          --health-retries 5

    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - name: Install Redis client
        run: sudo apt-get install redis-tools
      - name: Connect to Redis
        run: redis-cli -h localhost ping

Detailed Explanation

• services: Defines the list of service containers.
• Network: By default, service containers and the job container run on the same network. The runner can access the service using localhost and the mapped port.
• health-cmd: Ensuring the service is ready before the steps start.

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