"sudo: command not found" in micro image

[Pomax]

Why is the ubuntu-latest container claiming that sudo doesn't exist? It kind of has to in order to run installers.

slname: CI-CD

on:
  push:
    branches:
      - master

jobs:
  tex:
    name: Installing TeX Live and ((Xe)La)TeX related packages
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    shell: bash
    steps:
      - name: Installing TeX Live
        run: |
          sudo apt-get update

This crashes, even though it never should:

[ci.yml/Installing TeX Live and ((Xe)La)TeX related packages] �🚀  Start image=node:12.6-buster-slim
[ci.yml/Installing TeX Live and ((Xe)La)TeX related packages]   �🐳  docker run image=node:12.6-buster-slim entrypoint=["/usr/bin/tail" "-f" "/dev/null"] cmd=[]
[ci.yml/Installing TeX Live and ((Xe)La)TeX related packages] ⭐  Run Installing TeX Live
| /github/workflow/0: line 2: sudo: command not found
[ci.yml/Installing TeX Live and ((Xe)La)TeX related packages]   ❌  Failure - Installing TeX Live
Error: exit with `FAILURE`: 127

[Senui]

+1; installing the sudo package is also not required on the actual Github Actions. I currently work around this by doing apt update && apt install sudo prior to my regular workflow, just for act to run without this initial failure.

[github-actions]

Issue is stale and will be closed in 7 days unless there is new activity

[przemub]

The issue is still prevalent and prohibits running many actions.

[andrewnitu]

@Senui where do you insert this line?

[Senui]

@Senui where do you insert this line?

I just add it as the first step:

jobs:
  tex:
    name: Installing TeX Live and ((Xe)La)TeX related packages
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    shell: bash
    steps:
      - name: Install sudo package
        run: apt update && apt install sudo
      - name: Installing TeX Live
        run: |
          sudo apt-get update

[andrewnitu]

@Senui where do you insert this line?

I just add it as the first step:

Ah gotcha, i guess installing it again (from the perspective of the actual GitHub actions running on the web) won't cause any harm. Thanks! :)

[cameron-martin]

I'm having this problem too. Can it be reopened? @nektos

[fabrice102]

One solution is to use the alternative image.
See https://github.com/nektos/act#alternative-runner-images

For the sake of completeness, here is the text from the README:

If you need an environment that works just like the corresponding GitHub runner then consider using an image provided by nektos/act-environments:

• nektos/act-environments-ubuntu:18.04 - built from the Packer file GitHub uses in actions/virtual-environments.

⚠️ 🐘 *** WARNING - this image is >18GB 😱***

[Pomax]

given that the main problem is that sudo is no preinstalled, which takes up near as makes no difference literally no space at all, I'd much rather see sudo added to the base package. Anything else, we can install ourselves, but either the image has "root perms for everything" so that no su permissions are needed, or it comes with the few kb worth of sudo preinstalled so that things just work. Heck, even on a full perms image, sudo should exist and just do nothing special. It's not an optional command, too much relies on it merely existing =)

[rokcarl]

Using the apt update && apt install sudo workaround doesn't seem to work anymore:

Run apt update && apt install sudo
  apt update && apt install sudo
  shell: sh -e {0}

WARNING: apt does not have a stable CLI interface. Use with caution in scripts.

Reading package lists...
E: List directory /var/lib/apt/lists/partial is missing. - Acquire (13: Permission denied)
Error: Process completed with exit code 100.

[catthehacker]

@rokcarl what image are you using?

[rokcarl]

I'm runs-on: ubuntu-latest, but now I'm thinking that I'm also using container:, so I guess this problem is within my custom docker container.

[catthehacker]

ubuntu-latest is platform name, not image.
Image is listed in the log

[some workflow] 🚀  Start image=node:12.6-buster-slim
[some workflow] 🐳  docker run image=node:12.6-buster-slim entrypoint=["/usr/bin/tail" "-f" "/dev/null"] cmd=[]

[drschwabe]

Using the apt update && apt install sudo workaround doesn't seem to work anymore:

Run apt update && apt install sudo
  apt update && apt install sudo
  shell: sh -e {0}

WARNING: apt does not have a stable CLI interface. Use with caution in scripts.

Reading package lists...
E: List directory /var/lib/apt/lists/partial is missing. - Acquire (13: Permission denied)
Error: Process completed with exit code 100.

Just reviving this a little since I also came across the issue today. And found that the updated workaround can be to just use conditional ie- if running act locally vs Github Actions cloud.

   - run: chmod +x /usr/local/bin/docker-compose
     name: do something without sudo (act only)
     if: env.ACT=='true'

   - run: sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/docker-compose
     name: do something with sudo (Github Actions) 
     if: env.ACT!='true'  

Note you may still need to install sudo package for Github Actions.

[Pomax]

Quoting ACT's own explaination for why it exists:

Run your GitHub Actions locally! Why would you want to do this? Two reasons:

So if the workaround is "use different yaml for act vs. github", that's not a good workaround.

[catthehacker]

node:12.6-buster-slim doesn't have sudo, bigger images do have it

[Pomax]

That's mostly not an issue: act can run the container when installing, itself, and run a script that installs the "missing from buster-slim" universals like sudo, before the user ever gets to play with it. It just doesn't, right now.

[catthehacker]

We already provide images that include sudo and few other tools that are deemed most necessary for actions.

[Pomax]

Then really this issue should be briefly reopened, and then closed with a comment that explains which (still small rather than 18GB) image should be used instead, because right now the issue is closed because of github automation, so anyone who finds it is still going to be none the wiser about a solution.

[catthehacker]

We still have #107 open that is pinned so people should see it easily, marking it as duplicate since main discussion is in #107