actions/runner-images

★ 12,740PowerShellAudience · ops devopsComplexity · 4/5Setup · hard

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((repo))
    What it does
      Build runner VMs
      Pre-install dev tools
      Power GitHub Actions
    OS images
      Ubuntu 22.04 and 24.04
      macOS Intel and ARM
      Windows Server
    Image lifecycle
      Beta testing period
      General Availability
      Gradual latest rollout
    Use cases
      Check installed software
      Custom self-hosted runners
      Report image bugs
    Users
      GitHub Actions users
      Azure Pipelines users
      Self-hosted runner admins

mindmap root((repo)) What it does Build runner VMs Pre-install dev tools Power GitHub Actions OS images Ubuntu 22.04 and 24.04 macOS Intel and ARM Windows Server Image lifecycle Beta testing period General Availability Gradual latest rollout Use cases Check installed software Custom self-hosted runners Report image bugs Users GitHub Actions users Azure Pipelines users Self-hosted runner admins

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Things people build with this

USE CASE 1

Look up the full list of pre-installed tools on a specific GitHub Actions runner to know what your workflow can skip installing.

USE CASE 2

Build custom VM images using the same tooling GitHub uses, for self-hosted runners in your own infrastructure.

USE CASE 3

Report a bug or broken tool version on a specific runner image to GitHub's team.

USE CASE 4

Plan a workflow update when GitHub announces that a '-latest' label is moving to a newer OS version.

Tech stack

PowerShellBash

Getting it running

Difficulty · hard Time to first run · 1day+

Building custom images requires the same cloud infrastructure GitHub uses internally, most users only need to read the pre-installed software lists.

In plain English

When you use GitHub Actions to automatically test or build your code, GitHub runs your code on a virtual machine somewhere in the cloud. This repository contains the scripts and configuration files that GitHub uses to build those virtual machines. It is maintained by GitHub's own team and is also used by Microsoft Azure's pipeline service for the same purpose. The images available cover three operating systems: Ubuntu Linux (versions 22.04 and 24.04, plus a smaller "slim" variant), macOS (versions 14, 15, and 26, for both standard Intel chips and the newer ARM-based chips Apple uses), and Windows Server (versions 2022 and 2025). Each image comes with a large collection of programming languages, developer tools, and build utilities pre-installed, so most projects can start running code without needing to install anything first. The exact list of what is included in each image is documented in separate files linked from the README. In your GitHub Actions workflow file, you refer to one of these images by a short label such as "ubuntu-latest" or "windows-2022". The "-latest" labels always point to the most recent stable version of that operating system. When GitHub moves the "-latest" label to a newer OS version, they announce it in advance and roll it out gradually over one to two months to give users time to update their workflows. Images go through a lifecycle before they are widely available. A Beta period comes first, where the image is made available for testing and feedback, but is not covered by GitHub's service guarantees. After the beta period, if the image is stable and the major software on it is compatible, it moves to General Availability. GitHub supports the two most recent versions of each operating system, and older images are eventually retired. This repository is mainly useful to people who want to understand exactly what software is on GitHub's hosted runners, report issues with a specific image, or build custom VM images using the same tooling for their own self-hosted runners.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1

Where do I find the full list of software pre-installed on the ubuntu-24.04 GitHub Actions runner image?

Prompt 2

Help me create a custom GitHub Actions runner image based on ubuntu-22.04 runner-images scripts, with my company's internal CLI tools added.

Prompt 3

My GitHub Actions workflow broke after ubuntu-latest was updated, how do I pin my workflow to a specific runner image version to stop it happening again?

Prompt 4

What is the difference between ubuntu-22.04, ubuntu-24.04, and ubuntu-24.04-slim GitHub Actions runner images, and when should I choose each one?

Prompt 5

Walk me through the GitHub Actions runner image lifecycle from Beta to General Availability so I understand when it is safe to adopt a new image.

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