docker-github-actions-runner-android

Based off https://github.com/myoung34/docker-github-actions-runner but adds the android sdk into the container so we don't need to run the setup-android action every time from: https://github.com/android-actions/setup-android

The Android SDK requires Java, so the container includes a Temurin JDK as well, which means you can also skip the setup-java action: https://github.com/actions/setup-java

Node.js LTS is also baked in (see matrix.json for available versions), so actions/setup-node is unnecessary for LTS workflows.

Images are published as multi-arch manifests for both linux/amd64 and linux/arm64, so Apple Silicon Macs (via Docker Desktop / OrbStack) and ARM Linux hosts run natively without emulation.

To run the container, check out the environment variables from the base image: https://github.com/myoung34/docker-github-actions-runner#environment-variables

There is also an example docker-compose file which uses .env file to set the variables.

Image tags

Images are published to GitHub Container Registry (GHCR):

• ghcr.io/dodi-smart/github-runner

Tag scheme

Each image is built with a specific combination of base runner version, JDK version, Node major version, and Android SDK level. Tags let you choose how tightly to pin:

Tag	Example	What it pins	What floats
latest	latest	Nothing	Runner, JDK, Node, and SDK all track latest
jdk<VERSION>	jdk21	JDK major version	Runner, Node (default), and SDK track latest
node<VERSION>	node22	Node major version	Runner, JDK (default), and SDK track latest
jdk<JDK>-node<NODE>	jdk21-node22	JDK + Node	Runner and SDK track latest
<RUNNER>-jdk<JDK>-sdk<SDK>-node<NODE>	2.332.0-jdk21-sdk36-node22	Everything	Nothing — fully pinned

Which tag should I use?

• latest — always the newest runner, default JDK, default Node LTS, and latest Android SDK. Good for staying current, but builds may break if a new SDK introduces incompatibilities.
• jdk21 / jdk17 — pin the JDK version but still get runner, Node, and SDK updates automatically. A good balance for most users.
• jdk21-node22 — pin both JDK and Node majors; runner and SDK still track latest. Useful when an LTS-pinned Node is part of your build's contract.
• 2.332.0-jdk21-sdk36-node22 — fully pinned. Use this for reproducible builds where you want complete control over when to upgrade. Old pinned tags are never overwritten; they remain in the registry from previous builds.

What's in each image?

Every image includes:

• The myoung34/github-runner base image
• Temurin JDK (the version in the tag)
• Node.js LTS (the version in the tag) — installed from NodeSource, replacing the base image's older system Node
• Android SDK platform matching the SDK level in the tag (e.g., sdk36 = platforms;android-36)
• Latest Android build-tools and NDK for that SDK level
• Android SDK command-line tools, platform-tools, and cmake
• Multi-arch manifest covering linux/amd64 and linux/arm64

Projects that need additional SDK platforms (e.g., an older compileSdk) can install them at build time:

- run: sdkmanager "platforms;android-28"

Currently available JDK versions

The build matrix is defined in matrix.json. Check that file for the current list of JDK versions and which one is the default.

Currently available Node versions

Also defined in matrix.json — see node_versions for the current LTS majors and default_node for the version applied to short tags like latest and jdk<VERSION>.

Automated updates

Versions are kept up to date automatically:

Component	Mechanism
Base runner image	Renovate tracks myoung34/github-runner Docker tags
GitHub Actions versions	Renovate (config:base)
New JDK major versions	Weekly workflow queries the Adoptium API and opens a PR
New Node LTS majors	Weekly workflow queries the Node Release schedule and opens a PR
Android SDK platform level	Weekly workflow queries sdkmanager and opens a PR
Android build-tools	Weekly workflow queries sdkmanager and opens a PR
Android NDK	Weekly workflow queries sdkmanager and opens a PR

Building locally

docker build -f Dockerfile .

Build args can be used to customize the image. See the top of the Dockerfile for the current defaults and available args (VERSION, JAVA_VERSION, NODE_VERSION, COMPILE_SDK, BUILD_TOOLS, NDK_VERSION, SDK_TOOLS).

Example:

docker build --build-arg JAVA_VERSION=17 --build-arg NODE_VERSION=22 --build-arg COMPILE_SDK=35 -f Dockerfile .

Inspiration

• https://github.com/kriskda/docker-github-action-android-container (comes with emulator which we don't need)
• https://github.com/jordond/docker-android-github-runner (desire more configurability - re:version of myoung34 container, etc)