Overview
Act (https://github.com/nektos/act) is an open-source command-line tool that can simulate and run GitHub Actions workflows locally using Docker. It lets you trigger events, run jobs, and debug without pushing to a remote.
Core features and highlights
- Local execution: Run workflows defined in
.github/workflowsinside local containers. - Event simulation: Supports triggering
push,pull_request, and other events, as well as custom event payloads. - Matrix and secrets support: Test matrix strategies and inject secrets and environment variables.
- Configurable runner images: Choose or customize Docker images to reproduce different runtime environments.
- Lightweight CLI: Use the
actcommand-line to quickly run a single job or an entire workflow.
Applicable scenarios and target users
Suitable for developers, CI engineers, and open-source maintainers to debug CI configurations locally, quickly validate workflow logic, save the cost of repeated cloud runs, and test workflows offline in private repositories.
Main advantages or highlights
- Fast iteration: No need to wait for a remote runner on every commit