How to Run Synthetic Tests in GitHub Actions

Problem

You want to validate that your application's critical endpoints are working before deploying to production. Running synthetic tests in your CI/CD pipeline catches issues early and prevents broken deployments.

Solution

statusas provides a GitHub Action that runs your configured monitors as part of your CI/CD workflow. This guide shows you how to set it up.

Prerequisites

• An statusas account
• A GitHub repository
• At least one monitor configured in statusas
• Admin access to your GitHub repository (for secrets)

Step-by-step guide

1. Create a configuration file

Create a file named statusas.config.yaml in your repository root:

tests:
  ids:
    - 1
    - 2

Finding monitor IDs:

1. Go to your statusas dashboard.
2. Click on a monitor.
3. The ID is in the URL: https://app.statusas.lt/monitors/[ID].

Tip: start with your most critical monitors and expand from there.

2. Get your statusas API key

1. Go to Settings → General in your statusas dashboard
2. Find the API Keys card
3. Click Create and copy the key — you won't see it again after closing the dialog
4. Store it securely - you'll need it for the next step

3. Add your API key to GitHub Secrets

Secure your API key as a GitHub secret:

1. Go to your GitHub repository
2. Click Settings > Secrets and variables > Actions
3. Click New repository secret
4. Name: STATUSAS_API_KEY
5. Value: Your statusas API key
6. Click Add secret

4. Create the GitHub Action workflow

Create .github/workflows/statusas.yml:

name: Run statusas Synthetics CI

on:
  workflow_dispatch:  # Manual trigger
  push:
    branches: [ main ]  # Trigger on push to main
  pull_request:        # Run on PRs (optional)

jobs:
  synthetic_ci:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    name: Run statusas Synthetics CI
    steps:
      - name: Checkout
        uses: actions/checkout@v4
        
      - name: Run statusas Synthetics CI
        uses: openstatushq/statusas-github-action@v1
        with:
          api_key: ${{ secrets.STATUSAS_API_KEY }}

5. Commit and push

git add statusas.config.yaml .github/workflows/statusas.yml
git commit -m "Add statusas synthetic tests to CI"
git push origin main

The GitHub Action will run automatically on the next push to main.

What you've accomplished

• Integrated statusas into your CI/CD pipeline
• Automated synthetic testing on every deployment
• Added a safety check before production releases
• Set up continuous validation of critical endpoints

Customisation options

Run on different branches

on:
  push:
    branches: [ main, staging, develop ]

Run on pull requests

on:
  pull_request:
    types: [opened, synchronize, reopened]

Run on a schedule

on:
  schedule:
    - cron: '0 */4 * * *'  # Every 4 hours

Multiple configuration files

- name: Run statusas Synthetics CI
  uses: openstatushq/statusas-github-action@v1
  with:
    api_key: ${{ secrets.STATUSAS_API_KEY }}
    config_file: .statusas/production.yaml

Best practices

1. Start small — begin with 2–3 critical monitors.
2. Fail fast — run synthetic tests early in your pipeline.
3. Monitor the monitors — track your synthetic test success rate.
4. Environment-specific — use different monitors for staging vs production.
5. Document failures — investigate and document any CI failures.

Troubleshooting

Action fails with authentication error:

• Verify STATUSAS_API_KEY secret is set correctly.
• Check that your API key hasn't been revoked.

Monitors not found:

• Confirm monitor IDs are correct in statusas.config.yaml.
• Ensure monitors are active in your statusas dashboard.

Tests timing out:

• Check that your endpoints are accessible from GitHub's runners.
• Consider increasing timeouts in monitor configuration.

What's next

• Monitor your MCP server — advanced monitoring examples.
• Monitoring as code — manage monitors with YAML.
• CLI reference — automate monitor management.
• Export metrics — send data to your observability platform.
• GitHub Action on Marketplace — official action.
• Example repository — working examples.