quickstart.md

title	intro	allowTitleToDifferFromFilename	versions
Quickstart for GitHub Packages	Publish to {% data variables.product.prodname_registry %} in 5 minutes or less with {% data variables.product.prodname_actions %}.	true	free-pro-team enterprise-server * >=2.22

Introduction

You only need an existing {% data variables.product.prodname_dotcom %} repository to publish a package to {% data variables.product.prodname_registry %}. In this guide, you'll create a {% data variables.product.prodname_actions %} workflow to test your code and then publish it to {% data variables.product.prodname_registry %}. Feel free to create a new repository for this Quickstart. You can use it to test this and future {% data variables.product.prodname_actions %} workflows.

Publishing your package

1. Create a new repository on {% data variables.product.prodname_dotcom %}, adding the .gitignore for Node. Create a private repository if you’d like to delete this package later, public packages cannot be deleted. For more information, see "Creating a new repository."
2. Clone the repository to your local machine. {% raw %}

   $ git clone https://github.com/<em>YOUR-USERNAME</em>/<em>YOUR-REPOSITORY</em>.git
   $ cd <em>YOUR-REPOSITORY</em>

   {% endraw %}
3. Create an index.js file and add a basic alert to say "Hello world!" {% raw %}

   alert("Hello, World!");
   

   {% endraw %}
4. Initialize an npm package. In the package initialization wizard, enter your package with the name: @YOUR-USERNAME/YOUR-REPOSITORY, and set the test script to exit 0 if you do not have any tests. Commit your changes and push them to {% data variables.product.prodname_dotcom %}. {% raw %}

   $ npm init
     ...
     package name: <em>@YOUR-USERNAME/YOUR-REPOSITORY</em>
     ...
     test command: <em>exit 0</em>
     ...
   
   $ npm install
   $ git add index.js package.json package-lock.json
   $ git commit -m "initialize npm package"
   $ git push

   {% endraw %}
5. From your repository on {% data variables.product.prodname_dotcom %}, create a new file in the .github/workflows directory named release-package.yml. For more information, see "Creating new files."
6. Copy the following YAML content into the release-package.yml file. {% raw %}

   name: Node.js Package
   
   on:
     release:
       types: [created]
   
   jobs:
     build:
       runs-on: ubuntu-latest
       steps:
         - uses: actions/checkout@v2
         - uses: actions/setup-node@v1
           with:
             node-version: 12
         - run: npm ci
         - run: npm test
   
     publish-gpr:
       needs: build
       runs-on: ubuntu-latest
       steps:
         - uses: actions/checkout@v2
         - uses: actions/setup-node@v1
           with:
             node-version: 12
             registry-url: https://npm.pkg.github.com/
         - run: npm ci
         - run: npm publish
           env:
             NODE_AUTH_TOKEN: ${{secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN}}
   

   {% endraw %}
7. Scroll to the bottom of the page and select Create a new branch for this commit and start a pull request. Then, to create a pull request, click Propose new file.
8. Merge the pull request.
9. Navigate to the Code tab and create a new release to test the workflow. For more information, see "Managing releases in a repository."

Creating a new release in your repository triggers the workflow to build and test your code. If the tests pass, then the package will be published to {% data variables.product.prodname_registry %}.

Viewing your published package

Packages are published at the repository level. You can see all the packages in a repository and search for a specific package.

{% data reusables.repositories.navigate-to-repo %} {% data reusables.package_registry.packages-from-code-tab %} {% data reusables.package_registry.navigate-to-packages %}

Installing a published package

Now that you've published the package, you'll want to use it as a dependency across your projects. For more information, see "Configuring npm for use with {% data variables.product.prodname_registry %}."

Next steps

The basic workflow you just added runs any time a new release is created in your repository. But, this is only the beginning of what you can do with {% data variables.product.prodname_registry %}. You can publish your package to multiple registries with a single workflow, trigger the workflow to run on different events such as a merged pull request, manage containers, and more.

Combining {% data variables.product.prodname_registry %} and {% data variables.product.prodname_actions %} can help you automate nearly every aspect of your application development processes. Ready to get started? Here are some helpful resources for taking your next steps with {% data variables.product.prodname_registry %} and {% data variables.product.prodname_actions %}:

• "Learn {% data variables.product.prodname_registry %}" for an in-depth tutorial on GitHub Packages
• "Learn {% data variables.product.prodname_actions %}" for an in-depth tutorial on GitHub Actions
• "Guides" for specific uses cases and examples