GitHub-hosted Runner
GitHub-hosted runners are virtual machines operated by GitHub Inc. that are used to execute workflows. They are available exclusively for GitHub Enterprise Cloud (GHEC). For GitHub Enterprise Server (GHES), the Self-hosted Runners must be used.
Characteristics
- Each job receives a fresh, isolated virtual machine.
- The environment is automatically discarded after the job completes.
- Common development tools are pre-installed (e.g., Node.js, Python, Java, Docker).
- Internet connectivity is available by default.
- No access to the local network of the University of Bern.
Available runner labels
The most important available runners and their labels:
| Label | Operating system | Architecture |
|---|---|---|
ubuntu-latest |
Ubuntu (current) | x86_64 |
ubuntu-24.04 |
Ubuntu 24.04 | x86_64 |
ubuntu-22.04 |
Ubuntu 22.04 | x86_64 |
windows-latest |
Windows Server (current) | x86_64 |
macos-latest |
macOS (current) | ARM64 |
A complete and up-to-date list of all available runners can be found in the official GitHub documentation.
Usage in a workflow
jobs:
build:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
steps:
- uses: actions/checkout@v4
- name: Build
run: make build
Limitations
- No access to internal resources of the University of Bern (e.g., internal databases, network drives).
- For workflows that require access to the local network, the Self-hosted Runners must be used.
- Execution time per job is limited to 6 hours.
- During intensive simultaneous usage, wait times may occur (depending on the organization's GHEC quota).