Employing self-hosted github runners to test embedded software

In his presentation, the speaker explains the process of testing an embedded project using self-hosted GitHub runners on real hardware. He highlights the power and popularity of GitHub Actions among developers. Typically, GitHub Actions run on a "hosted" setup where a virtual machine on GitHub's premises handles the job execution. However, by utilizing "self-hosted" runners, the speaker suggests having the testing node located on the user's premises, enabling automated on-target testing.

This approach offers the advantage of quickly setting up a test framework and keeping the tests and code under test in the same repository. Additionally, the integration of Docker into GitHub Actions allows for easy execution of containerized tests. The availability of various third-party plugins, both open-source and closed-source, makes self-hosted runners a viable option for project test infrastructure considerations or reevaluations.

Balaji Srinivasan

Balaji is an Embedded software developer with over 18 years of software industry experience. He has been developing and testing firmware for Nordic Semiconductor's low power wireless chips for the past 11 years. His area of expertise includes Bluetooth Low Energy, cellular IOT, and low level firmware development. He is passionate about CI/CD and test automation. His recent adventures involve writing zephyr RTOS based firmware for constrained devices and automated testing.

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