Is it possible to use dput and debuild from Github Actions?

Question

Some context: I would like to set up a Github Action which, when I make a release on Github, the code from that tag is pushed/uploaded to a Launchpad PPA. On the Launchpad side, I would then expect a job to start that builds my packages and that makes those packages available on that PPA.

Attaching an action to the release event seems straightforward, however, is it possible to use tools such as dput and debuild from a Github Action?

Answer 1

Giving a proper answer to the question based on the comments:

You can install any software you want on the runners, as long as you use command lines (or scripts) compatible with the runner OS.

Note that it is also possible to use docker images and containers with your workflow (which can help depending on your context).

In your case, to install devscripts and dput using an ubuntu runner in your workflow, you could use sudo apt-get install commands:

jobs:
  build:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Run Install Commands
        run: |
          sudo apt-get install devscripts
          sudo apt-get install dput

I tested this implementation in this workflow and the output can be checked here.

Answer 2

I found the the list of supported software for the Github Runners upon digging a little bit deeper into Github documentation.

Regarding dput and debuild commands, these come from two different packages in the Ubuntu ecosystem, which are dput and devscripts respectively. It is not clear to me whether these tools are provided or can be installed on the Github Runners though.