Structure your CI workflows to maximize performance and clarity. Each job should have a single, clear responsibility with these guidelines:
One toolchain per job: Keep jobs focused with a single Rust toolchain version per job. Multiple toolchains in one job create confusion about which version is being used for each command.
# Don't do this:
- name: Install Rust stable
uses: dtolnay/rust-toolchain@stable
with:
toolchain: $
- name: Install Rust nightly
uses: dtolnay/rust-toolchain@stable
with:
toolchain: $
Instead, create separate jobs for different toolchains or requirements.
Split long-running tasks: Divide lengthy operations into separate jobs that can run in parallel. When a job begins taking too much time (like Miri tests), split it to enable faster feedback cycles and better resource utilization.
Use efficient testing tools: Employ optimized testing tools like cargo-nextest to significantly reduce execution time. For example, replacing standard test runners with nextest can reduce CI runtime by 40% or more, as seen with Miri jobs (37 minutes โ 21 minutes).
These practices will result in more maintainable CI configurations, faster feedback for developers, and clearer error identification when builds fail.
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