How to Deploy RudderStack Transformations with GitHub Actions

This guide lists the steps to use GitHub Actions to automatically test and deploy transformations whenever you push changes to your repository.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following:

• A RudderStack workspace with existing transformations
• A GitHub repository for version control
• Generate a workspace-level Service Access Token with Editor or Admin permissions
• GitHub Actions enabled in your repository

1. Export transformation code to your Git repository

Use the Transformations API to retrieve your existing transformations and organize them in your repository.

Structure your repository with the following directories:

Tip: Use the sample-user-transformers repository as a reference template for your setup.

2. Create the meta.json file

Define your transformations and libraries in a meta.json file — this file specifies the location, language, and testing configuration for each transformation.

An example configuration is shown below:

{
  "transformations": [
    {
      "file": "./code/my_transform.js",
      "name": "cleanNulls",
      "language": "javascript",
      "description": "Remove null properties",
      "test-input-file": "./code/testevents.json",
      "expected-output": "./code/expectedoutput.json"
    }
  ],
  "libraries": [
    {
      "file": "./code/utils.js",
      "name": "utils",
      "language": "javascript",
      "description": "Reusable utility functions"
    }
  ]
}

3. Configure GitHub Actions workflow

Create a workflow file at .github/workflows/deploy-transforms.yml to automate testing and deployment:

name: Deploy RudderStack Transformations

on:
  push:
    branches: [ main ]
    paths:
      - 'transformations/**'

jobs:
  test-and-publish:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      
      - name: Test & Publish Transformations
        uses: rudderlabs/rudder-transformation-action@<latest_version>
        with:
          metaPath: './transformations/meta.json'
          email: ${{ secrets.RS_EMAIL }}
          accessToken: ${{ secrets.RS_ACCESS_TOKEN }}
          uploadTestArtifact: true

This workflow triggers automatically when you push changes to the transformations/** directory on your main branch.

4. Set up GitHub secrets

1. Navigate to your repository Settings > Secrets and variables > Actions.

2. Create the following repository secrets:

   • RS_EMAIL: Email address associated with your RudderStack workspace
   • RS_ACCESS_TOKEN: Workspace-level Service Access Token with Editor or Admin permissions

Note that:

• Your GitHub Actions workflow uses these secrets to authenticate with RudderStack and deploy your transformations.
• For security purposes, RudderStack recommends using GitHub secrets to store your Service Access Token.

See more

• Transformations Overview
• Transformation Action Overview
• Transformations API Reference
• GitHub Actions Overview

Questions? Contact us by Email or on Slack