Pipery C/C++ CI#

Repository: pipery-cpp-ci
Release tag: v1.1.0
Catalog: /catalog/

Reusable GitHub Action for a complete C/C++ CI pipeline with structured logging via Pipery.

Table of Contents#

Quick Start
Pipeline Overview
Configuration Options
Usage Examples
GitLab CI
Bitbucket Pipelines
About Pipery
Development

Quick Start#

name: CI
on: [push, pull_request]

jobs:
  ci:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - uses: pipery-dev/cpp-ci@v1.1.0
        with:
          project_path: .
          build_system: auto
          github_token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}

Pipeline Overview#

Step	Tool	Skip Input	Description
Lint	clang-tidy	`skip_lint`	Enforces code style and detects issues
SAST	cppcheck, clang-analyzer	`skip_sast`	Detects C/C++ vulnerabilities
SCA	dependency-check	`skip_sca`	Identifies vulnerable dependencies
Build	CMake/Make/Meson	`skip_build`	Compiles C/C++ project
Test	ctest	`skip_test`	Runs unit and integration tests
Version	Semantic versioning	`skip_versioning`	Bumps version and creates git tag
Package	cpack	`skip_packaging`	Creates distributable artifacts
Release	GitHub Release	`skip_release`	Publishes binaries to GitHub
Reintegrate	Git merge	`skip_reintegration`	Merges back to default branch

Configuration Options#

Name	Default	Description
`project_path`	`.`	Path to the project source tree.
`config_file`	`.pipery/config.yaml`	Path to Pipery config file.
`build_system`	`auto`	Build system to use: `auto`, `cmake`, `make`, or `meson`.
`compiler`	`g++`	C++ compiler to use (e.g., `g++`, `clang++`).
`cmake_flags`	``	Extra flags to pass to the cmake configure step.
`tests_path`	``	Test filter pattern passed to ctest -R or equivalent.
`version_bump`	`patch`	Version bump type: `patch`, `minor`, or `major`.
`target_branch`	`main`	Target branch for reintegration.
`github_token`	``	GitHub token for release and reintegration.
`log_file`	`pipery.jsonl`	Path to the JSONL structured log file.
`skip_lint`	`false`	Skip the lint step.
`skip_sast`	`false`	Skip the SAST step.
`skip_sca`	`false`	Skip the SCA step.
`skip_build`	`false`	Skip the build step.
`skip_test`	`false`	Skip the test step.
`skip_versioning`	`false`	Skip the versioning step.
`skip_packaging`	`false`	Skip the packaging step.
`skip_release`	`false`	Skip the release step.
`skip_reintegration`	`false`	Skip the reintegration step.

Usage Examples#

Example 1: CMake project with g++#

name: CI
on: [push, pull_request]

jobs:
  ci:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - uses: pipery-dev/cpp-ci@v1.1.0
        with:
          project_path: .
          build_system: cmake
          compiler: g++
          github_token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}

Example 2: Clang compiler#

- uses: pipery-dev/cpp-ci@v1.1.0
  with:
    project_path: .
    build_system: cmake
    compiler: clang++
    github_token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}

Example 3: Custom CMake flags for release build#

- uses: pipery-dev/cpp-ci@v1.1.0
  with:
    project_path: .
    build_system: cmake
    cmake_flags: -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release -DENABLE_TESTS=ON -DENABLE_DOCS=ON
    github_token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}

Example 4: Makefile-based project#

- uses: pipery-dev/cpp-ci@v1.1.0
  with:
    project_path: .
    build_system: make
    github_token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}

Example 5: Run specific test suite#

- uses: pipery-dev/cpp-ci@v1.1.0
  with:
    project_path: .
    tests_path: unit_*
    github_token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}

Example 6: Major version bump#

- uses: pipery-dev/cpp-ci@v1.1.0
  with:
    project_path: .
    build_system: cmake
    version_bump: major
    github_token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}

GitLab CI#

Use the GitLab mirror template when .gitlab-ci.yml is published for this pipeline family. Import it from the mirrored GitLab project or use it as a reference implementation for running the same Pipery pipeline outside GitHub Actions.

The GitLab pipeline maps action inputs to CI/CD variables, publishes pipery.jsonl as an artifact, and maintains the same skip controls. Store credentials as protected GitLab CI/CD variables.

include:
  - project: pipery-dev/cpp-ci
    ref: v1.1.0
    file: /.gitlab-ci.yml

GitLab CI Variables#

Configure these protected variables in Settings > CI/CD > Variables:

GITHUB_TOKEN - GitHub API access for release and reintegration
BUILD_SYSTEM - cmake/make/meson (default: auto)
COMPILER - C++ compiler (default: g++)
VERSION_BUMP - patch/minor/major (default: patch)

Bitbucket Pipelines#

Bitbucket Cloud pipelines provide an alternative to GitHub Actions. Use Bitbucket shared pipeline imports to reference the exported Pipery pipeline instead of copying YAML into every application repository.

Getting Started#

Add a Bitbucket import source for the shared Pipery pipeline and import the exported pipeline by name:

definitions:
  imports:
    pipery-shared: pipery-dev/cpp-ci:v1.1.0
    pipery-custom: pipery-dev/cpp-ci:v1.1.0:.bitbucket/shared-pipelines.yml

pipelines:
  branches:
    main:
      import: pipery-cpp-ci@pipery-shared

  custom:
    run-pipery:
      import: pipery-cpp-ci@pipery-custom

Use {project-path}/{repo-slug}:{branch-or-tag} for a shared repository bitbucket-pipelines.yml, or {project-path}/{repo-slug}:{branch-or-tag}:{config-filepath} for another exported YAML file.

Configure Protected Variables in Repository Settings > Pipelines > Repository Variables:
- GITHUB_TOKEN - GitHub API access (for release and reintegration)
- BUILD_SYSTEM - cmake/make/meson (default: auto)
- COMPILER - C++ compiler (default: g++)
Commit and push to trigger the pipeline

Pipeline Stages#

The Bitbucket equivalent follows the same structure:

checkout → setup → lint (clang-tidy) → SAST (cppcheck) → SCA (dependency-check) → build → test → versioning → packaging → release → reintegration → logs

Skip Flags#

Disable any stage using environment variables:

SKIP_LINT, SKIP_SAST, SKIP_SCA, SKIP_BUILD, SKIP_TEST, SKIP_VERSIONING, SKIP_PACKAGING, SKIP_RELEASE, SKIP_REINTEGRATION

Example: Set SKIP_SAST=true to skip security scanning.

Features#

Auto-detects CMake, Make, Meson build systems
Multiple compiler support (g++, clang++)
Static analysis (clang-tidy, cppcheck)
Dependency vulnerability checking
Automatic GitHub releases
JSONL-based pipeline logging
30-90 day artifact retention

About Pipery#

Pipery Pipery is an open-source CI/CD observability platform. Every step script runs under psh (Pipery Shell), which intercepts all commands and emits structured JSONL events — giving you full visibility into your pipeline without any manual instrumentation.

Browse logs in the Pipery Dashboard
Find all Pipery actions on GitHub Marketplace
Source code: pipery-dev

Development#

# Run the action locally against test-project/
pipery-actions test --repo .

# Regenerate docs
pipery-actions docs --repo .

# Dry-run release
pipery-actions release --repo . --dry-run