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GitHub Actions avatar

GitHub Actions Runner Images

Build scripts for the VM images behind GitHub-hosted Actions runners

  • Developer tools
  • Servers and infrastructure
View on GitHub

What it is

This repository holds the Packer templates and PowerShell and shell scripts that produce the Ubuntu, macOS, and Windows virtual machine images used by GitHub-hosted Actions runners and Microsoft-hosted Azure Pipelines agents. Each image ships with a documented list of preinstalled toolchains, SDKs, and utilities, and labels like ubuntu-latest map to specific versions. Developers check it to learn what software their CI jobs can rely on, and teams running their own runners build matching images from it.

Images

Facts

Stars
13,505 GitHub stars.
13,505

Forks
3,939
Commits
7,369
Contributors
324
Language
PowerShell
License
MIT
Last commit
Oct 20, 2026
On GitHub since
June 2019
First release
January 2020
Platforms
macOS, Windows, Linux
Self-hostable
No
Tags
  • infrastructure-as-code
  • ci-cd
  • dev-environment

Last synced from GitHub on Oct 20, 2026

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What people are saying

Updated Oct 21, 2026
  • Hacker NewsGitHub breaks homebrew in GitHub Actions with only 5 days' noticeSep 27, 2022 · 32 points · 6 comments (opens Hacker News in a new tab)
  • Hacker NewsApple Silicon (M1) powered macOS runners are now available in public betaOct 2, 2023 · 22 points · 5 comments (opens Hacker News in a new tab)
  • Hacker NewsGitHub switched to Docker Compose v2, action neededApr 3, 2024 · 6 points · 2 comments (opens Hacker News in a new tab)
  • Bluesky“VMs "in a shed in Virginia": Specs:”Dec 3, 2025 · 3 likes · 2 replies (opens Bluesky in a new tab)
  • Hacker NewsGitHub Actions broke caching on macOSNov 23, 2025 · 3 points · 0 comments (opens Hacker News in a new tab)
  • Bluesky“This repo shows what's installed in the default images used for the supported "runs-on" keys.”Sep 4, 2025 · 1 like · 1 reply (opens Bluesky in a new tab)
  • Hacker NewsWindows Server 2025 Will Be Generally Available in GitHub Actions from AprilMar 18, 2025 · 2 points · 0 comments (opens Hacker News in a new tab)
  • Hacker NewsWindows runners are consistently slow compared to Linux and macOSOct 9, 2024 · 2 points · 0 comments (opens Hacker News in a new tab)
  • Bluesky“actions/runner-images GitHub Actions runner images GitHub Actions Runner Images Table of Contents... Result Details”May 29, 2025 · 0 likes · 0 replies (opens Bluesky in a new tab)
  • Bluesky“What irks me most is they chop and change things on images that should be immutable. Their guidelines say, "if depreciated remove after 6 months." That…”Feb 4, 2025 · 0 likes · 0 replies (opens Bluesky in a new tab)