> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://notes.kodekloud.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Workflow with multiple Jobs

> This guide explains how to create a multi-job CI/CD pipeline in GitHub Actions, covering job sequencing and artifact sharing.

In this guide, we’ll transform a simple, single-job GitHub Actions workflow into a robust multi-job CI/CD pipeline. You’ll learn how to split **build**, **test**, and **deploy** stages into separate jobs, ensure proper sequencing, and share artifacts between steps.

***

## Table of Contents

1. [Recap: Single-Job Workflow](#recap-single-job-workflow)
2. [Multi-Job Workflow Setup](#multi-job-workflow-setup)
3. [Default Parallel Execution & Failures](#default-parallel-execution--failures)
4. [Common Errors](#common-errors)
5. [Issues to Address Next](#issues-to-address-next)
6. [References](#references)

***

## Recap: Single-Job Workflow

Our original workflow ran every step in one job:

```yaml theme={null}
# .github/workflows/generate-ascii.yml
name: Generate ASCII Artwork
on: push

jobs:
  ascii_job:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Checkout repository
        uses: actions/checkout@v2

      - name: Execute ASCII script
        run: |
          chmod +x ascii-script.sh
          ./ascii-script.sh
```

This approach is simple but not scalable. Everything—from installation to deployment—occurs in a single VM instance.

***

## Multi-Job Workflow Setup

Below is an improved workflow with three distinct jobs: **build\_job\_1**, **test\_job\_2**, and **deploy\_job\_3**. Each job runs on its own runner:

```yaml theme={null}
# .github/workflows/generate-ascii.yml
name: Generate ASCII Artwork
on:
  push:
    branches:
      - main

jobs:
  build_job_1:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Checkout repository
        uses: actions/checkout@v2

      - name: Install cowsay
        run: sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install cowsay -y

      - name: Generate ASCII dragon
        run: cowsay -f dragon "Run for cover, I am a DRAGON.... RAWR" >> dragon.txt

      - name: Pause for 30 seconds
        run: sleep 30

  test_job_2:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Pause for 10 seconds
        run: sleep 10

      - name: Verify dragon.txt
        run: grep -i "dragon" dragon.txt

  deploy_job_3:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Display dragon.txt
        run: cat dragon.txt

      - name: Simulate deployment
        run: echo "Deploying dragon.txt..."
```

### Job Overview

| Job Name       | Purpose                         | Key Steps                               |
| -------------- | ------------------------------- | --------------------------------------- |
| build\_job\_1  | Install dependencies & generate | Install `cowsay`, create `dragon.txt`   |
| test\_job\_2   | Validate build output           | Check for “dragon” in `dragon.txt`      |
| deploy\_job\_3 | Output & deploy                 | Print file content, simulate deployment |

***

## Default Parallel Execution & Failures

By default, GitHub Actions runs jobs **in parallel** on separate VMs. Since there’s no shared filesystem or enforced order, downstream jobs may start before the build completes.

<Frame>
  ![The image shows a GitHub Actions workflow summary with three jobs: "build\_job\_1" succeeded, while "test\_job\_2" and "deploy\_job\_3" failed, resulting in an overall workflow failure.](https://kodekloud.com/kk-media/image/upload/v1752876192/notes-assets/images/GitHub-Actions-Certification-Workflow-with-multiple-Jobs/github-actions-workflow-summary-failure.jpg)
</Frame>

<Callout icon="lightbulb" color="#1CB2FE">
  Jobs in GitHub Actions are **isolated** by default. To share files or enforce ordering, you’ll need to use [job dependencies](https://docs.github.com/actions/using-workflows/workflow-syntax-for-github-actions#jobsjob_idneeds) and [artifacts](https://docs.github.com/actions/using-workflows/storing-workflow-data-as-artifacts).
</Callout>

***

## Common Errors

When jobs run in parallel without dependencies, you may see errors like:

```bash theme={null}
grep -i "dragon" dragon.txt
cat dragon.txt
# cat: dragon.txt: No such file or directory
# Error: Process completed with exit code 1.
```

***

## Issues to Address Next

1. **Job Sequencing**\
   Ensure `build_job_1` completes before `test_job_2`, and `test_job_2` before `deploy_job_3` using the `needs` keyword.

2. **Artifact Sharing**\
   Use `actions/upload-artifact` in the build job and `actions/download-artifact` in downstream jobs to pass `dragon.txt`.

***

## References

* [GitHub Actions: Workflow syntax](https://docs.github.com/actions/using-workflows/workflow-syntax-for-github-actions)
* [GitHub Actions: Using artifacts](https://docs.github.com/actions/using-workflows/storing-workflow-data-as-artifacts)
* [GitHub Actions: Job dependencies](https://docs.github.com/actions/using-workflows/workflow-syntax-for-github-actions#jobsjob_idneeds)

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