CI — tests on every push

as a manual tester

You run regression when someone remembers to ask you.

→

in automation

CI runs it on every single code push, automatically, and emails the red. Nobody has to remember. This is automation's endgame.

Continuous Integration means a server runs your suite on every push to the repo. GitHub ships this built-in as GitHub Actions, free for public repos. The setup is one YAML file — and you already know the command it will run: mvn test.

.github/workflows/tests.yml

name: automated-tests

on:
  push:            # every push to any branch
  workflow_dispatch:  # plus a manual Run button

jobs:
  test:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest      # a fresh Linux VM, Chrome preinstalled
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4          # get your code
      - uses: actions/setup-java@v4         # install JDK 21
        with:
          distribution: temurin
          java-version: 21
      - name: Run tests
        run: mvn -B test -Dheadless=true     # -B = no color codes in logs
      - uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4    # keep failure evidence
        if: failure()
        with:
          name: failure-evidence
          path: |
            screenshots/
            target/surefire-reports/

what happens on every push

(This exact file is downloadable: tests.yml — including the nightly cron discussed below.) Commit it, push, and open the repo's Actions tab:

GitHub Actions run log

✓ automated-tests  #12  (push, main)  2m 41s

  ✓ Set up job
  ✓ actions/checkout@v4
  ✓ actions/setup-java@v4
  ✓ Run tests
      [INFO] Tests run: 14, Failures: 0, Errors: 0, Skipped: 1
      [INFO] BUILD SUCCESS

The Actions tab after a green run — every step ticked, tests summary in the log

That green check now appears on every commit — and any teammate's push that breaks a test goes visibly red, with your screenshots and reports downloadable from the run page. You've built the thing teams actually pay automation engineers for.

The one requirement: headless

The CI machine has no screen, so Chrome must run headless (windowless). Notice the workflow passes -Dheadless=true — the next lesson wires that flag into your DriverFactory. Sequence the two lessons' exercises accordingly: wire headless first, then push.

Scheduling — the nightly regression: add schedule: - cron: "0 2 * * *" under on: and your full suite also runs at 2:00 every night, exactly like a real team's nightly regression. Combine with tags: smoke on push, full suite on schedule.

⚠ when it breaks — the classics

I pushed, but Actions shows nothing

(empty Actions tab)

Fix: The path must be exactly .github/workflows/tests.yml — dot, plural workflows, committed and pushed. YAML is also indentation-sensitive: two spaces, never tabs.

The run is red with 'exit code 1' and nothing else obvious

Error: Process completed with exit code 1.

Fix: That's just Maven's generic failure signal. Expand the Run tests step and scroll to the first red block — same skill as the terminal lesson, same first-red-block rule.

⚡ exercise · go live

Complete the next lesson's headless flag first (10 minutes), or temporarily keep only API tests tagged for CI — they need no browser.
Add the workflow file, commit, push.
Watch the Actions tab run live. Then break a test, push, and enjoy the red — download the screenshot artifact from the run page.
Fix and push again. Green. That loop is professional life.

references

key takeaways

CI = your suite runs on every push; GitHub Actions makes it one YAML file.
The pipeline literally runs mvn test — the command you've known since Suite 01.
Upload screenshots/reports as artifacts on failure; schedule nightly full runs with cron.