Demo Migrating Jenkins Pipeline to GitHub Action

In this tutorial, you'll learn how to migrate existing Jenkins jobs into GitHub Actions workflows using the GitHub Actions Importer.

Prerequisites

• A Jenkins account or organization with pipelines to migrate
• A Jenkins personal API token with read or admin permissions
• Docker installed (required by the importer)
• GitHub CLI (gh) installed and authenticated

1. Install GitHub CLI & Importer Extension

On Ubuntu, add the GitHub CLI repository and install:

(type -p wget >/dev/null || (sudo apt update && sudo apt install wget -y)) \
  && sudo mkdir -p /etc/apt/keyrings \
  && wget -qO- https://cli.github.com/packages/githubcli-archive-keyring.gpg \
     | sudo tee /etc/apt/keyrings/githubcli-archive-keyring.gpg \
  && sudo chmod 644 /etc/apt/keyrings/githubcli-archive-keyring.gpg \
  && echo "deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) \
     signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/githubcli-archive-keyring.gpg] \
     https://cli.github.com/repos/github/cli/releases/apt/ \
     $(lsb_release -cs) main" \
     | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/github-cli.list \
  && sudo apt update \
  && sudo apt install gh -y

Install the GitHub Actions Importer:

gh extension install github/gh-actions-importer
gh actions-importer -h

2. Authenticate with GitHub

Log in to GitHub via the CLI:

gh auth login

Follow the browser prompts to authorize.

3. Configure Importer Credentials

You need two tokens:

1. GitHub Personal Access Token (classic)

   • Scopes: repo, workflow
   • Create under Settings → Developer settings → Personal access tokens → Tokens (classic)

   

2. Jenkins API Token

   • Go to People → [your user] → Configure → API Token
   • Copy it before leaving the page

   

Run the configuration command and answer prompts:

gh actions-importer configure

• Choose Jenkins
• Enter your GitHub token & base URL (https://github.com)
• Enter your Jenkins token, username & base URL (e.g. http://64.227.187.25:8080/)

4. Update the Importer

Keep the extension up to date:

gh actions-importer update

5. Audit & Forecast (Optional)

Review your Jenkins jobs before migration:

gh actions-importer audit jenkins --output-dir tmp/audit

Estimate GitHub Actions runner usage (requires a Jenkins plugin):

gh actions-importer forecast jenkins

6. Dry Run a Jenkins Job

Locate your full Jenkins job URL:

Execute a dry-run to preview the workflow:

gh actions-importer dry-run jenkins \
  --source-url http://64.227.187.25:8080/job/Generate%20ASCII%20Artwork/ \
  --output-dir tmp/dry-run

Inspect the generated workflow YAML:

cat tmp/dry-run/Generate_ASCII_Artwork/.github/workflows/generate_ascii_artwork.yml

name: Generate_ASCII_Artwork
on:
  workflow_dispatch:
env:
  # TimestamperBuildWrapper was not converted
jobs:
  build:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: checkout
        uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - name: run command
        shell: bash
        run: |
          # Fetch a piece of advice
          curl -s https://api.adviceslip.com/advice > advice.json
          cat advice.json
          # Validate word count
          jq -r .slip.advice advice.json > advice.message
          [ $(wc -w < advice.message) -gt 5 ] \
            || (echo "Advice has 5 words or less" && exit 1)
          # Install cowsay and display
          sudo apt-get install cowsay -y
          export PATH="$PATH:/usr/games:/usr/local/games"
          cowsay -f "$(ls /usr/share/cowsay/cows | shuf -n 1)" \
            < advice.message

7. Migrate to GitHub Actions

Prepare your target repository (e.g., jenkins-to-actions):

Run the migration:

gh actions-importer migrate jenkins \
  --source-url http://64.227.187.25:8080/job/Generate%20ASCII%20Artwork/ \
  --target-url https://github.com/jenkins-kk-demo/jenkins-to-actions \
  --output-dir tmp/migrate

A pull request will be created automatically:

Merge the PR to land the workflow in .github/workflows/generate_ascii_artwork.yml:

cat .github/workflows/generate_ascii_artwork.yml

name: Generate_ASCII_Artwork
on:
  workflow_dispatch:
  push:
    branches:
      - main
jobs:
  build:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - name: run command
        shell: bash
        run: |
          curl -s https://api.adviceslip.com/advice > advice.json
          jq -r .slip.advice advice.json > advice.message
          [ $(wc -w < advice.message) -gt 5 ] \
            || (echo "Advice has 5 words or less" && exit 1)
          sudo apt-get install cowsay -y
          export PATH="$PATH:/usr/games:/usr/local/games"
          cowsay -f "$(ls /usr/share/cowsay/cows | shuf -n 1)" \
            < advice.message

8. Run the Workflow

Trigger the workflow manually or push to main:

After completion, check the logs to see your ASCII artwork output.

Links & References

• GitHub CLI Documentation
• gh-actions-importer Repository
• Jenkins Documentation