Introducing GitHub’s M1 macOS Runner: Faster Build Times and Improved App Store Reviews

2023-10-03 05:05:00
On October 2nd, US time, GitHub provided a public beta version of the large-scale M1 macOS runner powered by Apple Silicon for GitHub Actions. A runner is a server that is executed when a workflow is triggered. The M1 macOS runner has GPU hardware acceleration enabled by default, which improves performance and efficiency by shifting workloads from the CPU to the GPU. Equipped with a 6-core CPU, 8-core GPU, 14GB of RAM, and 14GB of storage. Build times will be reduced by up to 80% compared to the existing 3-core Intel standard runner and up to 43% compared to the existing 12-core Intel runner. GitHub’s mobile iOS team uses the new M1 runner for more than 10,000 minutes to deliver updates to the GitHub iOS app to Apple’s App Store every week. GitHub says that migrating from the 12-core Intel runner to the M1 runner improved build time by 44%, from 42 minutes to 23 minutes. While the time spent testing binaries remained constant across single-target runs, code compilation improved by 51%, and user interface (UI) testing improved by 55% across GitHub’s mobile test suite. GitHub says the transition to the M1 runner is seamless, with access requiring only updates to YAML workflow labels. However, due to differences in UI rendering between M1 Macs and Intel Macs, the image must be re-recorded for snapshot testing. This compares the new UI image with the recorded reference image pixel by pixel. GitHub says using the M1 runner has proven beneficial for iOS teams, as it provides access to the virtual machine’s GPU and speeds up the App Store review process, allowing apps to be approved faster. He goes on to say that this will allow users to publish their products in a timely manner, reducing the time it takes to submit them to Apple’s App Store. To try out the new Apple Silicon macOS large-scale runner, update the “runs-on:” key in your YAML file in your GitHub Actions YAML workflow to include “macos-latest-xlarge” or “macos-13-xlarge”. Make it a target. The 12-core macOS large-scale runner has moved from “xlarge” to “large”, but the “runs-on:” key can be changed to “macos-latest-large”, “macos-12-large” or “macos-13″. You can continue to use it by setting it to “-large”. Source: GitHub No sign-up required for the beta version, available immediately to all developers, teams, and organizations. The price is $0.16 per minute for XL and $0.12 per minute for large. Read all ZDNET Japan articles by email every morning (free registration)
1696310871
#GitHub #offers #macOS #largescale #runner #GitHub #Actionspublic #beta #ZDNET #Japan