Automated Fedora COPR Repository Management with GitHub Actions

This guide explains how to set up and maintain Fedora COPR repositories using GitHub Actions for automated builds and updates. This approach allows you to manage your RPM packages through Git while automating the build and publication process.

Acknowledgments

This workflow draws significant inspiration from solopasha's hyprlandRPM repository, which demonstrates excellent practices for COPR repository management through GitHub Actions.

Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure you have:

• A Fedora account
• Basic knowledge of RPM packaging
• A GitHub account
• Your RPM spec files ready (you can use tools like rust2rpm, pyp2rpm, gem2rpm, gofed, or npm2rpm to help create these)

Setting Up COPR Authentication

1. Visit https://copr.fedorainfracloud.org/api/
2. Generate an API token
3. In your GitHub repository:
   • Navigate to Settings → Secrets and Variables → Actions
   • Create a new repository secret named COPR_CONFIG
   • Add your COPR configuration content:

   [copr-cli]
   login = <your_copr_username>
   username = <your_copr_username>
   token = <your_token>
   copr_url = https://copr.fedorainfracloud.org

Creating Your COPR Repository

Through the Fedora Web UI (Recommended)

1. Go to https://copr.fedorainfracloud.org/ and log in

2. Click "New Project"

3. Configure your project settings:

   • Name: Your repository name
   • Description: Brief description of your package collection
   • Visibility: Set to "public"

4. Build Options:

   • Select "fedora-* x86_64" for all current Fedora versions
   • Create repositories manually: Unchecked
   • Enable internet access during builds: Checked
   • Project will not be listed on home page: Unchecked
   • Follow Fedora branching: Checked
   • Multilib support: Checked
   • Repository contains module hotfixes: Unchecked
   • Run fedora-review tool: Checked
   • Generate AppStream metadata: Checked
   • Build isolation: Use default configuration from mock-core-configs.rpm

Alternative: Command Line Setup

If you prefer using the command line:

copr-cli create your-repo-name --chroot fedora-rawhide-x86_64 --description "Your repository description"

Adding Packages to Your COPR Repository

After creating your COPR repository, you need to configure each package before they can be built. This can be done through the COPR web interface.

Package Configuration Steps

1. Navigate to your COPR repository

2. Click "Packages" then "New Package"

3. For each package, configure:

   1. Basic Package Information

   • Package name: Name of your package (e.g., cliphist)
   • Type: Git
   • Clone url: URL to your GitHub repository (e.g., https://github.com/yourusername/yourrepo.git)

   2. Source Location

   • Subdirectory: Folder name containing the package (e.g., "cliphist")
   • Spec File: Name of the spec file (e.g., "cliphist.spec")

   3. Build Method

   • Select "make srpm" when using the provided .copr/Makefile

   4. Build Settings (Optional)

   • Chroot denylist: Leave empty to build for all configured platforms
   • Max number of builds: Default unless storage limits needed
   • Max build time: Default (5h) is usually sufficient
   • Auto-rebuild: Enable for automatic rebuilds on repository changes

Example Package Configuration

Using cliphist as an example:

Package name: cliphist
Type: Git
Clone url: https://github.com/yourusername/yourrepo.git
Subdirectory: cliphist
Spec File: cliphist.spec
Build method: make srpm

Repeat this configuration for each package in your repository. The build order will be managed by the GitHub Actions workflow based on dependencies specified in your build.yml file. Note: The make srpm build method is used because this repository includes a .copr/Makefile that handles the SRPM creation process. This method allows for sophisticated build customization and dependency management.

GitHub Repository Configuration

1. Enable GitHub Actions:

   • Go to Settings → Actions → General
   • Enable "Read and write permissions" under "Workflow permissions"
   • Allow GitHub Actions to create and approve pull requests

2. Make workflow files executable:

chmod +x .github/workflows/*.yml
chmod +x */update.sh

Initial Repository Setup and Build

1. Push your changes to GitHub:

git add .
git commit -m "Initial repository setup [build-all]"
git push

The [build-all] tag in the commit message triggers the initial build of all packages.

Monitoring Your Setup

1. Watch the GitHub Actions tab in your repository

   • Verify both update and build workflows run successfully
   • The update workflow checks for new versions
   • The build workflow submits packages to COPR

2. Monitor builds at: https://copr.fedorainfracloud.org/coprs/yourusername/your-repo-name/

   • Packages will build in dependency order
   • Build status and logs are available for each package

Success Criteria

Your setup is working correctly when you see:

• Green checkmarks in GitHub Actions
• Successful builds in COPR
• A repository that can be enabled on Fedora systems

Maintaining Your Repository

The GitHub Actions workflows will:

• Automatically check for updates to your packages
• Create pull requests when updates are available
• Trigger builds when changes are merged
• Manage the build order based on dependencies

Your COPR repository is now set up for automated maintenance, with builds triggered by commits and version updates handled automatically through GitHub Actions.