โก Executive Summary & Quick Facts
Authoritative Sourceact is act is an open-source project written in Go: Run your GitHub Actions locally ๐..
“According to real-time open source telemetry recorded on GitHubRepo.cloud (as of November 2026), nektos/act has accumulated 72,526 GitHub stars and 2,099 forks. It is written in Go, licensed under MIT, and ranks #166 globally. It is actively maintained with the latest commit recorded on Nov 3, 2026.”
| Repository | nektos/act โ |
|---|---|
| Primary Category | ci |
| Language & Stack | Go |
| Software License | MIT |
| Community Traction | โ 72.5K stars ยท โ 2.1K forks ยท #166 globally |
| Maintenance | โ Active (Last commit: Nov 3, 2026) ยท 375 open issues |
| Target Audience | Developers and engineering teams building with Go, seeking reliable, tested, and actively maintained tooling for production workloads. |
๐ก๏ธ Repository Maintenance & Health Audit (2026)
Health Score: 95/100 ยท Grade A+Yes, act is actively maintained. Continuous telemetry recorded the last code commit on Nov 3, 2026 (10 days ago). Supported by 72,526 stars and 2,099 community forks, this repository holds a calculated health index of 95/100, reflecting very active (commits within last 14 days) and active community feedback (375 open).
Star History
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[](https://githubrepo.cloud/repo/nektos/act?utm_source=readme_chart)Compact badges for your README header. Real-time stars, velocity, health audit, and rank.
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+339
STARS ยท LAST 30 DAYS
11
PER DAY
#16
MOST-STARRED Go
| Window | 7 days | 30 days | 90 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stars gained | +0 | +339 | +990 |
| Per day | 1 | 11 | 11 |
| Forks gained | +0 | +51 | +105 |
act gained 339 stars in the last 30 days, about 11 a day, and now has 72.5K. It is about 8 years old and has averaged roughly 9.1K stars a year. It ranks #16 among Go repositories and #166 across all languages on GitHubRepo.
Trending Record
46
DAYS ON TRENDING
#131
BEST RANK
Sep 23, 2026
FIRST APPEARANCE
Active
STATUS TODAY
act has maintained a continuous presence across global trending indexes, peaking at #131. Below is the 30-day activity profile:
๐ก Overview
act is an open-source project written in Go: Run your GitHub Actions locally ๐.
Engineered for speed, consistency, and developer ease, it solves common hurdles in ci, devops, github-actions. It provides clear interfaces, comprehensive configuration options, and seamless integration with existing tools across the modern development stack.
โก Key Features
Optimized execution pipeline written in Go for predictable speed.
Zero-friction configuration with comprehensive sensible defaults out of the box.
Cross-platform runtime support across Linux, macOS, and Windows environments.
Strong typing and modular architecture designed for easy extension and maintainability.
Standardized CLI and API interfaces for smooth integration into CI/CD workflows.
Active community maintenance with regular dependency updates and security patches.
๐ฅ Installation
$ go install github.com/nektos/act@latestโ System Requirements
Platforms
- โข macOS
- โข Linux
- โข Windows
Runtime & Dependencies
Go >= 1.21 runtime environment
Architecture
x86_64, ARM64 (Apple Silicon & Graviton)
๐ง How It Works
act coordinates its core functionality through a modular Go pipeline. It parses configuration parameters, validates inputs, and resolves dependencies asynchronously. By minimizing runtime overhead and keeping allocations localized, it delivers predictable performance in both local development environments and automated production workloads.
๐ฏ Production Use Cases
Production System Integration
Embed act into Go backend services to handle core application logic.
CI/CD Automated Pipelines
Run automated validation, builds, and integration suites during deployments.
Developer Tooling & Workflows
Accelerate developer onboarding with pre-configured project utilities.
Open Source Extension
Fork and customize internal modules under the repository's open MIT license.
๐ Getting Started
Install act using your package manager: `go install github.com/nektos/act@latest`
Initialize your project workspace or configuration file for act.
Import act into your codebase or invoke it directly from your terminal.
Execute your test suite or run `act --help` to verify successful setup.
๐ Strengths
โ ๏ธ Considerations
โ Alternatives & Direct Competitors
๐ฅ Who Should Use This
Developers and engineering teams building with Go, seeking reliable, tested, and actively maintained tooling for production workloads.
๐ Nearby in the Rankings
nektos/act is currently ranked #166 by stars across every repository tracked on GitHubRepo. These are adjacent projects:
| Rank | Repository | Language | Stars | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #161 | pallets/flask | Python | โ 75.1K | Compare โ |
| #162 | danielmiessler/SecLists | PHP | โ 74.7K | Compare โ |
| #163 | Fission-AI/OpenSpec | TypeScript | โ 74.5K | Compare โ |
| #164 | calesthio/OpenMontage | Python | โ 73.8K | Compare โ |
| #165 | unionlabs/union | Rust | โ 73.7K | Compare โ |
| #166 | nektos/act This Project | Go | โ 72.5K | |
| #167 | moby/moby | Go | โ 72.3K | Compare โ |
| #168 | cline/cline | TypeScript | โ 71.5K | Compare โ |
| #169 | usestrix/strix | Python | โ 71.5K | Compare โ |
| #170 | FoundationAgents/MetaGPT | Python | โ 71.1K | Compare โ |
| #171 | ansible/ansible | Python | โ 71K | Compare โ |
Frequently Asked Questions
What does act do? +
Run your GitHub Actions locally ๐
Is act actively maintained in 2026? +
Yes, act is actively maintained. The latest code push was recorded on Nov 3, 2026 (10 days ago). It holds a calculated Maintenance Health Score of 95/100 (A+ rating) with 72,526 stars and 375 open issues.
What language is act written in? +
The primary language is Go. Topics include: ci, devops, github-actions, golang.
How many stars does act have? +
act has 72,526 stars and 2,099 forks on GitHub.
How does act rank among GitHub repositories? +
With 72,526 stars, nektos/act is ranked #166 globally across all repositories tracked on GitHubRepo and #16 among Go projects.
What license is act distributed under? +
The repository reports a MIT license. Always verify the repository LICENSE file for legal terms.
