GitHub Actions Matrix Builds Cheat Sheet

Parallel workflows for OS, runtimes, and tooling

Last Updated: November 21, 2025

Focus Areas

Focus
Define matrix keys for OS, runtime, and tooling
Use `strategy.fail-fast` to stop on early failures

Commands & Queries

strategy.matrix.os=ubuntu-latest,windows-latest
Define OS matrix
strategy.matrix.node=14,16
Cover Node versions
actions/cache@v3
Cache dependencies per runner

Summary

Parallelize jobs without exploding matrix size and cache dependencies to keep runs short.

💡 Pro Tip: Keep matrix dimensions small and use `strategy.include` when some combos are invalid.
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