Github Actions vs Travis CI: What are the differences?

Key differences between Github Actions and Travis CI

1. Pricing model: Github Actions offers a more flexible pricing model compared to Travis CI. While Travis CI has a tiered pricing structure based on the number of concurrent jobs and build minutes, Github Actions provides a certain number of free minutes and allows users to pay for additional minutes as per their usage.

2. Native integration with Github: Github Actions has native integration with Github repositories, making it easier to set up and manage CI/CD pipelines. It eliminates the need for extra configuration and provides a seamless experience for developers. In contrast, Travis CI requires additional setup and configuration to integrate with Github repositories.

3. Customizable execution environments: Github Actions allows users to define custom execution environments for their workflows. Users can specify the operating system, runtime version, and other dependencies specific to their project requirements. On the other hand, Travis CI provides a more limited set of pre-configured environments to choose from.

4. Supports Windows, macOS, and Linux: Github Actions supports Windows, macOS, and Linux operating systems, providing a versatile platform for building and testing applications. Travis CI initially focused on supporting Linux environments but has since added limited support for macOS.

5. Community support and third-party integrations: Github Actions benefits from a large community of users who contribute to the platform by creating and sharing reusable workflows. It also has a wide range of third-party integrations available, including popular tools like Slack, Jira, and Docker. While Travis CI also has a supportive community, the ecosystem is not as extensive as Github Actions.

6. Workflow visualization and logs: Github Actions provides a visual representation of workflows and their execution status, making it easier to understand and debug the CI/CD process. It also offers detailed logs for each step of the workflow, allowing developers to analyze and troubleshoot issues effectively. Travis CI, although having a similar feature, does not provide the same level of visual representation and detailed logs as Github Actions.

In summary, Github Actions offers a more flexible pricing model, native integration with Github repositories, customizable execution environments, support for multiple operating systems, extensive community support and third-party integrations, as well as better workflow visualization and logging capabilities compared to Travis CI.