A Real-World Comparison of Testing Management Tools: GitHub Actions vs GitLab CI/CDs

Article by: Hashira Belén Vargas Candia
Systems Engineering Student – CI/CD & DevOps Focus

Introduction
In modern software development, continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD) are essential for ensuring code quality and fast deployments. Automated testing tools allow test suites to run automatically with every code change. In this article, I will compare two of the most popular tools: GitHub Actions and GitLab CI/CD, providing real configuration examples.

GitHub Actions
Overview
GitHub Actions is the native CI/CD solution integrated directly into GitHub. It allows workflow automation using YAML files in the .github/workflows directory. It is highly flexible, with a marketplace of pre-built actions and support for Docker containers.

Example Configuration

# .github/workflows/run-tests.yml
name: Run Tests

on:
  push:
    branches: [ main, develop ]
  pull_request:
    branches: [ main ]

jobs:
  test:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest

    steps:
    - name: Checkout code
      uses: actions/checkout@v3

    - name: Set up Node.js
      uses: actions/setup-node@v3
      with:
        node-version: '18'

    - name: Install dependencies
      run: npm ci

    - name: Run unit tests
      run: npm test

    - name: Run integration tests
      run: npm run test:integration

    - name: Upload coverage reports
      uses: codecov/codecov-action@v3

GitLab CI/CD

Overview
GitLab CI/CD is the continuous integration tool included within the GitLab platform. It is configured using a .gitlab-ci.yml file in the repository root. It offers visual pipelines, deployment environments, and deep integration with the DevOps lifecycle.

Example Configuration

# .gitlab-ci.yml
stages:
  - test
  - deploy

unit_tests:
  stage: test
  image: node:18-alpine
  script:
    - npm ci
    - npm test
  artifacts:
    when: always
    paths:
      - coverage/
    reports:
      junit: junit.xml

integration_tests:
  stage: test
  image: node:18-alpine
  services:
    - postgres:latest
  variables:
    POSTGRES_DB: test_db
    POSTGRES_USER: runner
    POSTGRES_PASSWORD: ""
  script:
    - npm ci
    - npm run test:integration

pages:
  stage: deploy
  script:
    - npm run build:coverage
  artifacts:
    paths:
      - public

Detailed Comparison

Feature	GitHub Actions	GitLab CI/CD
Native Integration	With GitHub (perfect if you use GitHub)	With GitLab (complete DevOps ecosystem)
Configuration Syntax	YAML with reusable actions	YAML with defined stages and jobs
Marketplace/Pre-built Actions	Extensive GitHub Marketplace	Reusable templates and components
Visual Environments	Basic but functional	More detailed visual pipelines
Pricing for Private Repos	2000 free minutes/month	400 free minutes/month on SaaS free tier
Self-hosted Runners	Yes (runners)	Yes (GitLab runners)
Cache and Artifacts	Built-in support	Very robust with configurable storage
Kubernetes Integration	Yes (via actions)	Native and very strong

Real-World Use Case: Testing Pipeline for a REST API
Context
I developed a REST API with Node.js/Express that requires:

Unit tests (Jest)

Integration tests with PostgreSQL

Load testing (optional)

Coverage reports

GitHub Actions Solution

- name: Run load tests
  if: github.ref == 'refs/heads/main'
  run: |
    npm install -g artillery
    artillery run load-test.yml
GitLab CI/CD Solution
yaml
performance_tests:
  stage: test
  only:
    - main
  script:
    - npm install -g artillery
    - artillery run load-test.yml

Both tools allow running load tests only on the main branch, optimizing resource usage.

Tool Selection Recommendations

Choose GitHub Actions if:

• Your repository is already on GitHub

• You need integration with many third-party tools*

• You prefer a community-driven actions ecosystem

• Your team is small to medium and values simplicity

Choose GitLab CI/CD if:

• You already use GitLab for repository management

• You need a complete DevOps pipeline (from issues to deploy)

• You require native integration with Kubernetes

• You work in a large team with auditing and security needs

Conclusion
Both GitHub Actions and GitLab CI/CD are powerful tools for test automation. The choice mainly depends on where your code is hosted and your specific DevOps workflow needs.

GitHub Actions stands out for its simplicity and vast action ecosystem, while GitLab CI/CD offers deeper integration with the full development lifecycle. Both enable robust, scalable, and maintainable testing pipelines.