When evaluating the trustworthiness of a GitHub Action, consider the following indicators:
Source: Actions from the official GitHub organization or from well-known organizations are generally trustworthy. Be cautious with actions from unknown sources.
Usage: Actions used by a large number of repositories are likely to be more reliable. You can see the "Used by" count on the action's marketplace page.
Last Updated: Actions that are regularly updated are more likely to be reliable and secure. You can see the last updated date on the action's marketplace page.
Versioning: Actions that use semantic versioning (i.e., versions are numbers in the format of vX.Y.Z) can be more trustworthy as they follow a standard practice for version control.
Documentation: Good documentation is a sign of a well-maintained action. It should explain what the action does, how to use it, and what each input and output means.
Reviews and Issues: Check the "Ratings & reviews" section and the "Issues" tab on the action's GitHub page. If many users report issues or if issues are left unresolved, it might be a red flag.
Code Inspection: If possible, inspect the code of the action. This can give you a better understanding of what the action does and how it does it. Be wary of actions that have obfuscated or minified code, as it's harder to understand what they're doing.
Remember, even with these indicators, there's always a risk when using third-party actions. Always evaluate whether you trust the action before adding it to your workflows.
When evaluating the trustworthiness of a GitHub Action, consider the following indicators:
Source: Actions from the official GitHub organization or from well-known organizations are generally trustworthy. Be cautious with actions from unknown sources.
Usage: Actions used by a large number of repositories are likely to be more reliable. You can see the "Used by" count on the action's marketplace page.
Last Updated: Actions that are regularly updated are more likely to be reliable and secure. You can see the last updated date on the action's marketplace page.
Versioning: Actions that use semantic versioning (i.e., versions are numbers in the format of
vX.Y.Z) can be more trustworthy as they follow a standard practice for version control.Documentation: Good documentation is a sign of a well-maintained action. It should explain what the action does, how to use it, and what each input and output means.
Reviews and Issues: Check the "Ratings & reviews" section and the "Issues" tab on the action's GitHub page. If many users report issues or if issues are left unresolved, it might be a red flag.
Code Inspection: If possible, inspect the code of the action. This can give you a better understanding of what the action does and how it does it. Be wary of actions that have obfuscated or minified code, as it's harder to understand what they're doing.
Remember, even with these indicators, there's always a risk when using third-party actions. Always evaluate whether you trust the action before adding it to your workflows.