What is the GitHub Actions 'Large Runner' feature?
Select an answer to reveal the explanation.
Short Explanation and Infographic
Large runners are GitHub-hosted but beefier. Instead of the standard 2-core Linux runner, you can get 4, 8, 16, 32, or 64 cores with matching RAM. And for ML workloads, there are GPU-equipped large runners. Great for big builds without managing your own infrastructure.
Full explanation below image
Full Explanation
GitHub Actions Large Runners are an enhanced tier of GitHub-hosted runners offering more computing resources than standard runners. Available configurations include: (1) Linux: 4, 8, 16, 32, and 64 vCPU options with proportional RAM. (2) Windows: larger vCPU options. (3) GPU runners: NVIDIA GPU-equipped runners for ML/AI workloads. (4) Arm64 runners: for testing ARM-native code. Large runners are available on GitHub Team and Enterprise plans. They use the same GitHub-hosted runner model (managed by GitHub, ephemeral, no infrastructure to maintain) but with higher compute resources. Pricing is higher per minute than standard runners, reflecting the additional resources. Organizations specify large runners using runner labels in workflow YAML: 'runs-on: ubuntu-latest-4-cores'.