GitHub Actions runner images
Source code that builds the virtual machine images used by GitHub-hosted Actions runners.actions/runner-images
- Stars
- 13.6k
- Forks
- 4k
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- PowerShell
- Last update
- 7 days ago
- Type
- Other
What it is
This repository holds the source code used to build the virtual machine images that GitHub-hosted runners use to run Actions workflows. It also covers images used for Microsoft-hosted agents in Azure Pipelines. The README lists images for Ubuntu, macOS, Windows, and Xcode, with the software each one includes.
- Look up the included software list for a specific image such as ubuntu-24.04 or macos-26-arm64
- Choose a runner label like windows-2025 or xcode-27 for a workflow job
- Build your own VM image from this source by following the linked instructions in docs/create-image-and-azure-resources.md
Great for
- Teams that want to know exactly what software is preinstalled on a GitHub-hosted runner
- Maintainers who need to pick the right runner label for a macOS, Ubuntu, or Windows job
- People who want to propose or track changes to the software included in runner images
Not ideal for
- People who just want to run a CI job: the images are built here, but you use them through GitHub Actions labels rather than installing this repo
- Anyone wanting to run self-hosted runners from this repo; the README only links to separate self-hosted runner documentation
How to get it
- 1
Clone and build from source
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/actions/runner-images - 2
Run it
- Open the README's Available Images table to find the image you need
- Note the YAML label for that image, such as ubuntu-24.04 or windows-2025
- Click the linked Readme for that image to see its included software
- Use the label in the runs-on field of your GitHub Actions workflow
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Check the Announcement issue label for upcoming changes before relying on a -latest label
- Pick a pinned version label such as ubuntu-24.04 instead of ubuntu-latest if you want fewer surprises
- Review the per-image software Readme before assuming a tool is preinstalled
- Follow the linked image creation guide if you need to build your own image
Downloads
Strengths
- Publishes the full image definitions and per-image software lists, so contents are inspectable
- Covers many operating systems and architectures, including x64 and arm64
- Announcements are tracked through a labeled issue list
Trade-offs
- Building an image requires Azure resources and the linked setup guide, which this README excerpt does not detail
- The README is truncated here, so the full build process and version policy are not covered in this entry
- Some images are in preview or deprecated, and their labels can change
Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.