GitHub Actions

Build self-contained JVM binaries in your CI/CD pipeline.

Quick Start

name: Build Binary

on:
  push:
    branches: [main]

jobs:
  build:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - uses: actions/setup-java@v4
        with:
          distribution: temurin
          java-version: 21

      - uses: avelino/jbundle@main
        with:
          input: .
          output: ./dist/myapp

      - uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
        with:
          name: myapp-linux-x64
          path: ./dist/myapp

That's it. Replace myapp with your app name.

Action Reference

Inputs

Input	Required	Default	Description
version	no	latest	jbundle version to install (e.g., v0.2.0)
input	no	—	Path to project directory or JAR file
output	no	—	Output binary path
java-version	no	—	JDK version to bundle (11, 17, 21, etc.)
target	no	—	Target platform (linux-x64, macos-aarch64, etc.)
profile	no	—	JVM profile (cli or server)
shrink	no	—	Shrink uberjar (true to enable)
args	no	—	Additional arguments passed to jbundle build
install-only	no	false	Only install jbundle, don't run build

Outputs

Output	Description
binary	Path to the output binary
version	Installed jbundle version

Examples

CLI Tool with Fast Startup

- uses: avelino/jbundle@main
  with:
    input: .
    output: ./dist/mycli
    profile: cli
    shrink: true

Specific Java Version

- uses: avelino/jbundle@main
  with:
    input: .
    output: ./dist/myapp
    java-version: 17

From Pre-built JAR

- name: Build JAR
  run: ./gradlew shadowJar

- uses: avelino/jbundle@main
  with:
    input: ./build/libs/app-all.jar
    output: ./dist/myapp

Install Only (Custom Build Commands)

- uses: avelino/jbundle@main
  with:
    install-only: true

- name: Build with custom flags
  run: |
    jbundle build \
      --input . \
      --output ./dist/myapp \
      --modules java.base,java.sql,java.desktop \
      --jvm-args "-Xmx1g"

Extra Arguments

- uses: avelino/jbundle@main
  with:
    input: .
    output: ./dist/myapp
    args: "--gradle-project app --build-args '-PeaJdkBuild=false'"

Pin to a Specific Version

- uses: avelino/[email protected]
  with:
    input: .
    output: ./dist/myapp

Cross-Platform Builds

Build for multiple platforms using a matrix:

jobs:
  build:
    strategy:
      matrix:
        include:
          - os: ubuntu-latest
            target: linux-x64
          - os: macos-14
            target: macos-aarch64
          - os: macos-13
            target: macos-x64

    runs-on: ${{ matrix.os }}

    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - uses: actions/setup-java@v4
        with:
          distribution: temurin
          java-version: 21

      - uses: avelino/jbundle@main
        with:
          input: .
          output: ./dist/myapp-${{ matrix.target }}
          target: ${{ matrix.target }}

      - uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
        with:
          name: myapp-${{ matrix.target }}
          path: ./dist/myapp-${{ matrix.target }}

Windows CI

jbundle works on windows-latest runners. Build binaries for all platforms from Windows:

jobs:
  build:
    strategy:
      matrix:
        include:
          - os: ubuntu-latest
            target: linux-x64
          - os: macos-14
            target: macos-aarch64
          - os: windows-latest
            target: linux-x64

    runs-on: ${{ matrix.os }}

    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - uses: actions/setup-java@v4
        with:
          distribution: temurin
          java-version: 21

      - uses: avelino/jbundle@main
        with:
          input: .
          output: ./dist/myapp-${{ matrix.target }}
          target: ${{ matrix.target }}

      - uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
        with:
          name: myapp-${{ matrix.os }}-${{ matrix.target }}
          path: ./dist/myapp-${{ matrix.target }}

Note: The output binary uses a Unix shell stub, so --target must be a Linux or macOS platform. Windows is supported as a build host, not an output target.

Gradle Multi-Project

For projects with multiple subprojects (like JabRef):

- uses: avelino/jbundle@main
  with:
    input: .
    output: ./dist/myapp
    args: "--gradle-project app"

Or with a pre-built jlink runtime:

- name: Build with Gradle
  run: ./gradlew :jabgui:jlinkZip

- uses: avelino/jbundle@main
  with:
    input: .
    output: ./dist/jabgui
    args: "--gradle-project jabgui --jlink-runtime jabgui/build/packages"

Caching

Speed up builds by caching the jbundle JDK cache:

- uses: actions/cache@v4
  with:
    path: ~/.jbundle/cache
    key: jbundle-${{ runner.os }}-${{ hashFiles('**/jbundle.toml') }}
    restore-keys: |
      jbundle-${{ runner.os }}-

Reusing the CI JDK

setup-java sets JAVA_HOME automatically. jbundle detects it and skips the Adoptium download:

- uses: actions/setup-java@v4
  with:
    distribution: temurin
    java-version: 21

# jbundle reuses JAVA_HOME — no extra download
- uses: avelino/jbundle@main
  with:
    input: .
    output: ./dist/myapp

Using jbundle.toml

Instead of passing inputs, use a config file in your repo:

# jbundle.toml
java_version = 21
profile = "cli"
jvm_args = ["-Xmx512m"]

Then your workflow simplifies to:

- uses: avelino/jbundle@main
  with:
    input: .
    output: ./dist/myapp

Release Workflow

Create releases with binaries for all platforms:

name: Release

on:
  push:
    tags: ["v*"]

jobs:
  build:
    strategy:
      matrix:
        include:
          - os: ubuntu-latest
            target: linux-x64
          - os: macos-14
            target: macos-aarch64

    runs-on: ${{ matrix.os }}

    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - uses: actions/setup-java@v4
        with:
          distribution: temurin
          java-version: 21

      - uses: avelino/jbundle@main
        with:
          input: .
          output: ./myapp-${{ matrix.target }}
          target: ${{ matrix.target }}

      - uses: softprops/action-gh-release@v1
        with:
          files: ./myapp-${{ matrix.target }}

Debug

Enable verbose logging:

- uses: avelino/jbundle@main
  with:
    input: .
    output: ./dist/myapp
    args: "--verbose"
  env:
    RUST_LOG: debug

Or use dry-run to preview the build plan:

- uses: avelino/jbundle@main
  with:
    input: .
    output: ./dist/myapp
    args: "--dry-run"

Troubleshooting

Build hangs at "Detecting build system"

Gradle downloading dependencies. Add caching:

- uses: actions/cache@v4
  with:
    path: |
      ~/.gradle/caches
      ~/.gradle/wrapper
    key: gradle-${{ runner.os }}-${{ hashFiles('**/*.gradle*', '**/gradle-wrapper.properties') }}

Out of memory

- uses: avelino/jbundle@main
  with:
    input: .
    output: ./dist/myapp
    args: "--jvm-args '-Xmx2g'"