GitHub Actions and CI/CD

VIPM's command-line interface enables seamless integration with CI/CD platforms like GitHub Actions, enabling automated package management, building, and testing of LabVIEW projects.

Overview

Using VIPM in CI/CD pipelines allows you to:

Automatically install package dependencies before running tests
Build VI packages as part of your release process
Validate package installations in different LabVIEW versions
Ensure reproducible builds with consistent package versions

Need full command syntax while building workflows? Refer to the CLI Command Reference.

VIPM CLI Overview — general CLI concepts and sample commands
Docker and Containers Guide — containerized LabVIEW environments for CI runners

GitHub Actions Integration

Prerequisites

To use VIPM in GitHub Actions, you'll need:

A GitHub repository with your LabVIEW project
VIPM Pro serial number (store as GitHub secret)
A workflow configuration file (.github/workflows/)

Setting Up GitHub Secrets

Store your VIPM Pro credentials as GitHub repository secrets:

Go to your repository → Settings → Secrets and variables → Actions
Add the following secrets:
VIPM_SERIAL_NUMBER: Your VIPM Pro serial number
VIPM_FULL_NAME: Your full name (as registered)
VIPM_EMAIL: Your email address (as registered)

You can find your VIPM Pro serial number on the VIPM account page.

Prompts are auto-disabled in CI

VIPM automatically detects CI environments like GitHub Actions and enables non-interactive mode — confirmation prompts are auto-accepted and missing parameters cause immediate errors instead of hanging. No extra configuration is needed. You can also use the -y flag or VIPM_ASSUME_YES=1 for explicit control. See Environment Variables for details.

LabVIEW containers are new

The official NI LabVIEW container images and the tooling around them are still maturing. JKI and NI are actively polishing the rough edges — expect the setup steps (Xvfb, display configuration, runtime markers) to simplify over time.

Display setup required for every step (Linux containers)

VIPM commands that interact with LabVIEW need a running display server on Linux. In GitHub Actions containers, processes don't survive between steps, so the display must be re-established at the top of every step that uses vipm. The workflow examples below include a step that writes setup-display.sh at the top of the job, then each subsequent step sources it.

Launch LabVIEW in headless mode before install/build steps (Linux containers)

Steps that install or build packages need LabVIEW running in the background. Launch it non-blocking with the --headless flag before any vipm command that interacts with LabVIEW:

/usr/local/natinst/LabVIEW-${LABVIEW_VERSION_YEAR}-64/labview --headless &

The trailing & runs it in the background so the step continues to the vipm command.

Headless LabVIEW

The --headless flag prevents LabVIEW from opening a GUI and works on both Windows and Linux. It should be used in any CI/CD or containerized workflow. See Headless LabVIEW for details.

Basic Workflow Example

Create a file at .github/workflows/vipm-ci.yml:

name: VIPM CI

on:
  push:
    branches: [ main ]
  pull_request:
    branches: [ main ]

jobs:
  install-packages:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest

    container:
      image: nationalinstruments/labview:2026q1patch2-linux

    env:
      LABVIEW_VERSION_YEAR: "2026"

    steps:
      - name: Checkout code
        uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: Create display setup script
        run: |
          cat > setup-display.sh << 'EOF'
          TARGET_DISPLAY=:99
          export DISPLAY="$TARGET_DISPLAY"
          if ! pgrep -x Xvfb > /dev/null; then
              Xvfb "$TARGET_DISPLAY" -screen 0 1280x720x24 -ac +extension GLX +render -noreset \
                  > /tmp/xvfb.log 2>&1 &
          fi
          # Without this marker file the LabVIEW Runtime Engine may not start properly.
          mkdir -p /tmp/natinst && echo "1" > /tmp/natinst/LVContainer.txt
          echo "$(pgrep -x Xvfb > /dev/null && echo "Xvfb running (DISPLAY=$TARGET_DISPLAY)" || echo "WARNING: Xvfb is required by vipm, but failed to start; DISPLAY=$DISPLAY may not work. Check /tmp/xvfb.log for details.")"
          EOF

      - name: Install VIPM
        run: |
          wget -O /tmp/vipm.deb https://packages.jki.net/vipm/preview/vipm_latest_preview_amd64.deb
          sudo dpkg -i /tmp/vipm.deb
          rm /tmp/vipm.deb

      - name: Activate VIPM
        run: |
          source setup-display.sh
          vipm activate \
            --serial-number "${{ secrets.VIPM_SERIAL_NUMBER }}" \
            --name "${{ secrets.VIPM_FULL_NAME }}" \
            --email "${{ secrets.VIPM_EMAIL }}"

      - name: Refresh package sources
        run: |
          source setup-display.sh
          vipm refresh

      - name: Install project dependencies
        run: |
          source setup-display.sh
          /usr/local/natinst/LabVIEW-${LABVIEW_VERSION_YEAR}-64/labview --headless &
          vipm install -y project.vipc

      - name: List installed packages
        run: |
          source setup-display.sh
          vipm list --installed

Installing Specific Packages

To install specific packages instead of using a .vipc file:

- name: Install required packages
  run: |
    vipm install -y \
      oglib_boolean \
      oglib_numeric \
      jki_lib_state_machine

Building VI Packages

To build VI packages as part of your CI pipeline:

- name: Build VI Package
  run: vipm build source/MyPackage.vipb

- name: Upload built package
  uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
  with:
    name: vi-package
    path: builds/*.vip

Caching VIPM Package Downloads

To speed up builds, cache VIPM's package downloads:

- name: Cache VIPM packages
  uses: actions/cache@v4
  with:
    path: |
      /usr/local/natinst/LabVIEW*/
      /usr/local/jki/vipm/cache/
      /usr/local/jki/vipm/db/
    key: ${{ runner.os }}-vipm-${{ hashFiles('project.vipc') }}

Common Workflow Patterns

Complete Build and Test Workflow

name: Build and Test

on: [push, pull_request]

jobs:
  build-and-test:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    container:
      image: nationalinstruments/labview:2026q1patch2-linux

    env:
      LABVIEW_VERSION_YEAR: "2026"

    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: Create display setup script
        run: |
          cat > setup-display.sh << 'EOF'
          TARGET_DISPLAY=:99
          export DISPLAY="$TARGET_DISPLAY"
          if ! pgrep -x Xvfb > /dev/null; then
              Xvfb "$TARGET_DISPLAY" -screen 0 1280x720x24 -ac +extension GLX +render -noreset \
                  > /tmp/xvfb.log 2>&1 &
          fi
          mkdir -p /tmp/natinst && echo "1" > /tmp/natinst/LVContainer.txt
          echo "$(pgrep -x Xvfb > /dev/null && echo "Xvfb running (DISPLAY=$TARGET_DISPLAY)" || echo "WARNING: Xvfb is required by vipm, but failed to start; DISPLAY=$DISPLAY may not work. Check /tmp/xvfb.log for details.")"
          EOF

      - name: Install VIPM
        run: |
          wget -O /tmp/vipm.deb https://packages.jki.net/vipm/preview/vipm_latest_preview_amd64.deb
          sudo dpkg -i /tmp/vipm.deb
          rm /tmp/vipm.deb

      - name: Activate VIPM
        run: |
          source setup-display.sh
          vipm activate \
            --serial-number "${{ secrets.VIPM_SERIAL_NUMBER }}" \
            --name "${{ secrets.VIPM_FULL_NAME }}" \
            --email "${{ secrets.VIPM_EMAIL }}"

      - name: Refresh package sources
        run: |
          source setup-display.sh
          vipm refresh

      - name: Install dependencies
        run: |
          source setup-display.sh
          /usr/local/natinst/LabVIEW-${LABVIEW_VERSION_YEAR}-64/labview --headless &
          vipm install -y project.vipc

      - name: Build project
        run: |
          source setup-display.sh
          /usr/local/natinst/LabVIEW-${LABVIEW_VERSION_YEAR}-64/labview --headless &
          # Add your LabVIEW build commands here
          echo "Building LabVIEW project..."

      - name: Run tests
        run: |
          source setup-display.sh
          /usr/local/natinst/LabVIEW-${LABVIEW_VERSION_YEAR}-64/labview --headless &
          # Add your test commands here
          echo "Running tests..."

      - name: List installed packages
        if: always()
        run: |
          source setup-display.sh
          vipm list --installed

Troubleshooting

VIPM Activation Issues

If activation fails in CI: - Verify secrets are correctly set in repository settings - Ensure the serial number is valid and not expired - Check that the name and email match your VIPM account

Package Installation Failures

If package installation fails: - Run vipm refresh before installing packages - Check that package names are correct (case-sensitive) - Verify LabVIEW version compatibility

Container Issues

If the container doesn't start or VIPM is not found: - Ensure you're using the correct container image - Verify the container has VIPM installed - Check container logs for errors

Examples Repository

For complete working examples, visit:

VIPM Docker Examples - Contains Docker and CI/CD configuration examples