Support Github actions and workflows

[LegNeato]

FEATURE REQUEST

Soon Github will be publicly releasing Github Actions. If Argo supported the format natively, all public workflows could just work™ in a private Argo install. Also we could use individual actions as steps in custom Argo workflows, leveraging the vast open source community.

This would mean a ton of code and integrations would not have to be implemented by the team or by individual companies. This also means Argo workflows could be migrated to Github Actions with minimal changes (like say, for example, you open source a project and want to open source its CI workflow and run it on Github Actions rather than your internal Argo).

I don't know which repo to add this in as it seems to be a combination of argo, argo events, and argo ci.

Additional context

• https://developer.github.com/actions/
• https://github.com/marketplace?type=actions
• Example of a workflow that runs on a schedule
• Example workflows that run on a GitHub event

[alexec]

This sounds like #2667 .

[LegNeato]

Not quite.

This is supporting the action definitions as Argo steps / workflows...not just kicking off Argo workflows similarly to GitHub Actions via webhooks.

For example, I should be able to use any of the workflows/actions in https://github.com/actions/starter-workflows as-is without having to push my own docker container, define Argo yaml, etc.

Workflow definition docs:

https://help.github.com/en/actions/reference/workflow-syntax-for-github-actions

Reference docs:

https://help.github.com/en/actions/reference

[whynowy]

This sounds like a narrow use case of "Github notification -> CI workflows"?

[frostebite]

This would be absolutely excellent, often I am requesting developers to specifically support their actions running on argo. But this would open the door to the huge ecosystem of github actions. I'm relatively new to argo, but that feels like a game changer.

[alexec]

If I understand correctly, the suggestion in to support an alternative workflow syntax, much like #873. It is unlikely that the core team would implement this due to the lack of utility vs cost.

Perhaps someone from the community might be interseted..

[alexec]

I think this is solved:

https://github.com/marketplace/actions/submit-argo-workflows-from-github

[acj]

@alexec That action helps you submit Argo workflows from GHA, but that's been possible since the launch. I think your previous comment captured the feature request here, i.e. the ability to run a GitHub Action natively on Argo, without converting the syntax.

[OneCricketeer]

Adding my observation.

supported the format natively

There's no standard specification, right? I imagine Argo was developed in parallel to GHA. Asking to change the format is like asking if Airflow tasks could be written in something other than Python. I think that request is a non starter. GHA has the option for a self hosted runner in k8s nowadays...

could use individual actions as steps in custom Argo workflows, leveraging the vast open source community.

Ignoring syntax, I do agree with this sentiment. However, GHA are Javascript first, black-box container second. Argo Workflows are container first, "script" second (at least my use cases). Without looking at GHA source code, doubtful you'd know which is a container (therefore Argo could use as is), or just an npm install away from running from a script action. The first problem that comes to mind, then is how input parameters/output artifacts would be defined without rewriting the code to not be "CI environment specific".