Workflow Configure Unit Testing

1. Clone the Repository and Create a Feature Branch
2. Open in VS Code and Add Your Workflow
3. Enable the Actions Tab in GitHub
4. Trigger and Inspect the Workflow
5. Configure the Application’s Database Connection
6. Add Environment Variables and Secrets
6.1 Add the MONGO_PASSWORD Secret
6.2 Add the MONGO_USERNAME Variable
7. Verify Workflow Success
Summary of Workflow Steps
References

In this tutorial, you’ll set up an automated unit testing pipeline for your Node.js Solar System application using GitHub Actions. By the end, every push to main or any feature/* branch will trigger tests, ensuring code quality and reliability.

1. Clone the Repository and Create a Feature Branch

First, clone your GitHub repository and explore the project structure.

The image shows a GitHub repository page for a project named "solar-system," displaying a list of files and directories along with commit messages and timestamps. The repository has no stars, forks, or releases.

Now, create a feature branch for your workflow changes:

git checkout -b feature/exploring-workflows

The image shows a GitHub repository page for a project named "solar-system," displaying the code files and a branch selection dropdown.

2. Open in VS Code and Add Your Workflow

Launch the repository in VS Code (e.g., by editing the URL to .dev). Then create a new workflow file at .github/workflows/solar-system.yml:

The image shows a Visual Studio Code interface with the GitHub Actions extension page open, displaying details about the extension and a file explorer on the left.

Paste the following YAML to install Node.js, dependencies, and run tests:

name: Solar System Workflow

on:
  workflow_dispatch:
  push:
    branches:
      - main
      - 'feature/*'

jobs:
  unit-testing:
    name: Unit Testing
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Checkout Repository
        uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: Setup Node.js
        uses: actions/setup-node@v3
        with:
          node-version: 18

      - name: Install Dependencies
        run: npm install

      - name: Run Unit Tests
        run: npm test

This workflow triggers manually (workflow_dispatch) and on every push to main or any feature/* branch. It uses actions/setup-node@v3, which supports parameters like node-version, check-latest, and node-version-file.

The image shows a GitHub page for the "setup-node" action, detailing its functionality and usage for GitHub Actions, including options for Node.js version management.

Customize actions/setup-node by specifying check-latest: true to always fetch the latest patch release.

Commit and push your workflow:

git add .github/workflows/solar-system.yml
git commit -m "Add unit testing workflow"
git push --set-upstream origin feature/exploring-workflows

3. Enable the Actions Tab in GitHub

By default, the Actions tab might be hidden. Open the repository page to confirm:

The image shows a GitHub repository page named "solar-system" with various files and directories listed, along with options for code management and branch protection.

Go to Settings > Actions > General, and under Actions permissions allow all actions and reusable workflows:

The image shows the GitHub settings page for a repository named "solar-system," focusing on the "Actions permissions" section. It includes options for enabling or disabling actions and settings for artifact and log retention.

After saving, GitHub suggests available workflows:

The image shows a GitHub Actions setup page with options to configure various workflows like Docker image, Node.js package, and Jekyll using Docker.

Allowing all actions grants workflows broad permissions. Review GitHub Actions security best practices before enabling.

4. Trigger and Inspect the Workflow

Push an empty commit to trigger the CI pipeline on your feature branch:

git commit --allow-empty -m "Trigger CI"
git push

In the Actions tab, open the Unit Testing run and review the logs:

The image shows a GitHub Actions interface with a failed unit testing job in a workflow. The job details and logs are displayed, indicating a setup process for Node.js.

The failure indicates missing MongoDB credentials.

5. Configure the Application’s Database Connection

Open app.js to see how MongoDB connects:

const mongoose = require('mongoose');

mongoose.connect(process.env.MONGO_URI, {
  user: process.env.MONGO_USERNAME,
  pass: process.env.MONGO_PASSWORD,
  useNewUrlParser: true,
  useUnifiedTopology: true
}, err => {
  if (err) {
    console.error("MongoDB connection error:", err);
  }
});

You must supply the MONGO_URI, MONGO_USERNAME, and MONGO_PASSWORD via your workflow.

6. Add Environment Variables and Secrets

Update .github/workflows/solar-system.yml to define global env variables:

env:
  MONGO_URI: 'mongodb+srv://supercluster.d83jj.mongodb.net/superData'
  MONGO_USERNAME: ${{ vars.MONGO_USERNAME }}
  MONGO_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.MONGO_PASSWORD }}

The full workflow becomes:

name: Solar System Workflow

on:
  workflow_dispatch:
  push:
    branches:
      - main
      - 'feature/*'

env:
  MONGO_URI: 'mongodb+srv://supercluster.d83jj.mongodb.net/superData'
  MONGO_USERNAME: ${{ vars.MONGO_USERNAME }}
  MONGO_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.MONGO_PASSWORD }}

jobs:
  unit-testing:
    name: Unit Testing
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Checkout Repository
        uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: Setup Node.js
        uses: actions/setup-node@v3
        with:
          node-version: 18

      - name: Install Dependencies
        run: npm install

      - name: Run Unit Tests
        run: npm test

6.1 Add the `MONGO_PASSWORD` Secret

In Settings > Secrets and variables > Actions, click New repository secret and add MONGO_PASSWORD:

The image shows a GitHub repository settings page where a new secret named "MONGO_PASSWORD" with the value "SuperPassword" is being added. The interface is dark-themed, and the "Add secret" button is visible.

6.2 Add the `MONGO_USERNAME` Variable

Under Settings > Secrets and variables > Actions > Variables, create MONGO_USERNAME:

The image shows a GitHub settings page where a new action variable is being added, with the name "MONGO_USERNAME" and the value "superuser."

Commit and push your changes:

git add .github/workflows/solar-system.yml
git commit -m "Define env vars for MongoDB in workflow"
git push

7. Verify Workflow Success

After pushing, GitHub Actions will rerun the workflow, connect to MongoDB using your provided credentials, and execute unit tests without errors. All steps—including Node.js setup and npm test—should pass.

To retain logs and coverage reports after the run completes, consider uploading test artifacts using actions/upload-artifact.

Summary of Workflow Steps

Step	Description	Command / File
1	Create feature branch	`git checkout -b feature/...`
2	Add GitHub Actions workflow	`.github/workflows/solar-system.yml`
3	Enable Actions in repository	Settings > Actions > General
4	Trigger CI run	`git commit --allow-empty -m "Trigger CI"`
5	Inspect DB config in `app.js`	`mongoose.connect(...)`
6	Define secrets & variables	GitHub Settings > Secrets and Variables
7	Confirm passing unit tests	Actions tab

References

Watch Video

Clone Git Repo

ArchiveStore Unit Test Reports

⌘I

Introduction

Reusable Workflows and Reporting

Custom Actions

Self Hosted Runner

Security Guide

Continuous Deployment with Git Hub Actions

Continuous Integration with Git Hub Actions

Git Hub Actions Core Concepts

Git Hub Actions in the Enterprise Cloud

Workflow Configure Unit Testing

1. Clone the Repository and Create a Feature Branch

2. Open in VS Code and Add Your Workflow

3. Enable the Actions Tab in GitHub

4. Trigger and Inspect the Workflow

5. Configure the Application’s Database Connection

6. Add Environment Variables and Secrets

6.1 Add the `MONGO_PASSWORD` Secret

6.2 Add the `MONGO_USERNAME` Variable

7. Verify Workflow Success

Summary of Workflow Steps

References

Watch Video

Introduction

Reusable Workflows and Reporting

Custom Actions

Self Hosted Runner

Security Guide

Continuous Deployment with Git Hub Actions

Continuous Integration with Git Hub Actions

Git Hub Actions Core Concepts

Git Hub Actions in the Enterprise Cloud

​1. Clone the Repository and Create a Feature Branch

​2. Open in VS Code and Add Your Workflow

​3. Enable the Actions Tab in GitHub

​4. Trigger and Inspect the Workflow

​5. Configure the Application’s Database Connection

​6. Add Environment Variables and Secrets

​6.1 Add the MONGO_PASSWORD Secret

​6.2 Add the MONGO_USERNAME Variable

​7. Verify Workflow Success

​Summary of Workflow Steps

​References

Watch Video

1. Clone the Repository and Create a Feature Branch

2. Open in VS Code and Add Your Workflow

3. Enable the Actions Tab in GitHub

4. Trigger and Inspect the Workflow

5. Configure the Application’s Database Connection

6. Add Environment Variables and Secrets

6.1 Add the `MONGO_PASSWORD` Secret

6.2 Add the `MONGO_USERNAME` Variable

7. Verify Workflow Success

Summary of Workflow Steps

References