GitHub Actions Job failed due to insufficient resources

The runner does not have enough resources to execute the job.

Understanding GitHub Actions

GitHub Actions is a powerful CI/CD tool integrated directly into GitHub, allowing developers to automate their workflows. It enables you to build, test, and deploy code right from GitHub. With GitHub Actions, you can create workflows that build the code in your repository and run them on different platforms and configurations.

Identifying the Symptom

One common issue developers encounter is a job failure due to insufficient resources. This symptom is typically observed when a workflow fails to complete, and the logs indicate that the runner lacks the necessary resources to execute the job. This can manifest as errors related to memory, CPU, or disk space limitations.

Common Error Messages

  • "Out of memory" errors during execution.
  • "Disk space full" warnings.
  • "CPU quota exceeded" messages.

Exploring the Issue

The root cause of this issue is often tied to the runner's resource limitations. GitHub Actions can run on GitHub-hosted runners or self-hosted runners. GitHub-hosted runners come with predefined resource limits, which might not be sufficient for resource-intensive workflows. Self-hosted runners, on the other hand, depend on the resources of the machine they are set up on.

Resource Constraints

GitHub-hosted runners have the following resource limits:

  • 2-core CPU
  • 7 GB of RAM
  • 14 GB of SSD disk space

For more details, refer to the GitHub-hosted runners documentation.

Steps to Fix the Issue

To resolve the issue of insufficient resources, consider the following steps:

1. Optimize Your Workflow

Review your workflow to identify areas where resource usage can be minimized. This might include:

  • Reducing the number of parallel jobs.
  • Optimizing scripts to be more efficient.
  • Using caching to avoid redundant tasks.

Learn more about optimizing GitHub Actions workflows.

2. Use a Self-Hosted Runner

If optimization is not sufficient, consider setting up a self-hosted runner with more resources. This allows you to customize the hardware specifications to meet your workflow's demands.

  1. Set up a machine with the desired specifications.
  2. Install the GitHub Actions runner software on the machine.
  3. Register the runner with your GitHub repository or organization.

For detailed instructions, visit the self-hosted runners guide.

3. Increase GitHub-hosted Runner Resources

If using GitHub-hosted runners, consider splitting the workload across multiple jobs or using matrix builds to distribute resource usage.

Conclusion

By understanding the resource limitations of GitHub Actions runners and optimizing your workflows accordingly, you can effectively manage and resolve issues related to insufficient resources. Whether through optimization or leveraging self-hosted runners, these strategies will help ensure your workflows run smoothly and efficiently.

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