CI/CD Fundamentals
Step
A step is an individual task within a workflow job, such as a shell command or reusable action. Steps share the job's workspace, but shell processes and ordinary exported variables do not automatically persist between steps.
Also known as: workflow step
Why it matters
Step boundaries influence shell state, error handling, and reuse within a job.
Practical example
Write values to GITHUB_ENV when subsequent steps need them instead of relying on a shell export.
Related terms
Sources
Definition reviewed .
Start with $10 in free credits
Change the runner label in your workflow and keep the rest of your GitHub Actions setup. Runner time is billed per minute.