ci: backend-tests.yml GitHub Actions workflow is malformed — CI never runs on backend changes

[Uchechukwu-Ekezie]

Description

The .github/workflows/backend-tests.yml CI workflow file has an invalid YAML structure that causes GitHub Actions to silently ignore the workflow. As a result, no automated tests run on any backend pull request or push.

Root Cause

The on.pull_request.paths filter block contains YAML for job steps (- name: Upload test results, Docker CLI commands) rather than path glob patterns. This is structurally invalid — paths expects a list of strings, not a list of maps. GitHub Actions parses the file, finds no valid jobs: block, and skips execution with no error surfaced to contributors.

Current (broken) structure:

on:
  pull_request:
    paths:
      - 'backend/**'
      - name: Upload test results        # ← Step definition in wrong location
        if: always()
        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v3
        ...
      - name: Validate deployment compose config  # ← Same problem
        run: docker compose -f deployment/docker-compose.yml config

Required structure:

on:
  pull_request:
    paths:
      - 'backend/**'

jobs:
  test:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Upload test results
        ...

Impact

• Every PR touching backend/ merges without CI validation
• Tests in backend/src/test/ (api.integration, riskManagements, idempotency, queue, etc.) never execute in CI
• Bugs can silently enter main branch
• e2e-tests.yml is correctly formatted and serves as valid reference

Steps to Verify

1. Open any PR that modifies a file under backend/
2. Observe that no "backend-tests" check appears in the PR status checks
3. Compare .github/workflows/backend-tests.yml to .github/workflows/e2e-tests.yml

Proposed Fix

Restructure backend-tests.yml with a proper jobs: section:

name: Backend Tests

on:
  push:
    branches: [main, develop]
    paths:
      - 'backend/**'
  pull_request:
    paths:
      - 'backend/**'

jobs:
  unit-tests:
    name: Unit & Integration Tests
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest

    services:
      postgres:
        image: postgres:15-alpine
        env:
          POSTGRES_USER: portfolio_user
          POSTGRES_PASSWORD: portfolio_pass
          POSTGRES_DB: stellar_portfolio
        ports:
          - 5432:5432
        options: >-
          --health-cmd pg_isready
          --health-interval 10s
          --health-timeout 5s
          --health-retries 5
      redis:
        image: redis:7-alpine
        ports:
          - 6379:6379

    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
        with:
          node-version: '18'
          cache: 'npm'
          cache-dependency-path: backend/package-lock.json
      - name: Install dependencies
        working-directory: backend
        run: npm ci
      - name: Run tests
        working-directory: backend
        env:
          DATABASE_URL: postgresql://portfolio_user:portfolio_pass@localhost:5432/stellar_portfolio
          REDIS_URL: redis://localhost:6379
          NODE_ENV: test
        run: npm test
      - name: Upload test results
        if: always()
        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
        with:
          name: backend-test-results
          path: backend/test-results/

  validate-compose:
    name: Validate Docker Compose
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - name: Validate compose config
        run: docker compose -f deployment/docker-compose.yml config

Files Affected

• .github/workflows/backend-tests.yml — needs full rewrite
• .github/workflows/e2e-tests.yml — correct reference implementation

[Dwifax]

Hi — experienced backend dev with strong CI/CD background. I reviewed issue #2: the YAML parse error comes from the on.pull_request.paths block holding job-step keys (- name, - run) instead of glob patterns — invalid per GitHub Actions schema, so the workflow is silently ignored and no backend tests run on PRs.

Fix: (1) replace the malformed paths list with valid globs (e.g. backend/**) OR drop the filter so tests run on all PRs, (2) move the docker/exit/upload steps into the proper jobs.*.steps section, (3) validate locally with act dry-run + push a test PR to confirm Actions goes green.

ETA: 30–60 min once assigned. I can start immediately. Shipped 10+ GitHub Actions workflows (Node, Python, Rust) on personal + OSS repos.

[Marvy247]

I've reviewed the issue description, and I'm confident I can implement all the requested details smoothly.​Please assign this issue to me! I can have a PR ready for review in a few hours. Thank You.

[SudiptaPaul-31]

May I be assigned to this issue please my name is Sudipta Paul a active open source contributor with more than 50+ merged pr's and also an active contributor of GrantFox from beginning and would love to work on this issue and get a pr merged

[dadadave80]

Hi @Uchechukwu-Ekezie, I'd like to take this on.

I've reproduced the root cause: in .github/workflows/backend-tests.yml the on.pull_request.paths list holds job-step maps (- name: Upload
test results, the docker compose command) instead of path globs. GitHub Actions parses it, finds no valid jobs: block, and silently skips
the workflow — so nothing runs on backend PRs.

My approach:

1. Restructure the trigger — keep on.push/on.pull_request with valid paths: ['backend/**'] globs only; strip out the misplaced step maps.
2. Add the jobs: section — a unit-tests job (postgres:15 + redis:7 service containers matching the project's compose env, npm ci, npm test
   with DATABASE_URL/REDIS_URL/NODE_ENV=test, then upload-artifact@v4 for results) plus a validate-compose job running docker compose -f
   deployment/docker-compose.yml config.
3. Align with the working reference — mirror the structure of the correctly-formatted e2e-tests.yml so the two stay consistent.
4. Verify — lint locally with actionlint/act dry-run, then push a test PR touching backend/ and confirm the "Backend Tests" check appears
   and goes green, exercising the existing suites in backend/src/test/ (api.integration, riskManagements, idempotency, queue).

I've shipped several Node CI workflows with service containers and can have a PR up referencing Closes #2 within a few hours of assignment.

[grantfox-oss]

🦊 GrantFox — @dadadave80 has been assigned to this issue as part of the Official Campaign campaign!

Next steps:

1. Open a Pull Request referencing this issue (e.g., Closes #2)
2. Your PR will be reviewed by the grantFoxin maintainers

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[grantfox-oss]

🎉 This issue has been marked as completed on GrantFox as part of the Official Campaign campaign!

@dadadave80's PR #22 was approved and merged by @Uchechukwu-Ekezie.

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