GitHub Enterprise Server Support

GitHub Star Tracker supports GitHub Enterprise Server (GHES) installations, allowing you to track stars for repositories hosted on your organization’s private GitHub instance.

Overview

GitHub Enterprise Server support enables:

Tracking repositories on self-hosted GHES instances
Automatic API URL detection on GHES runners
Manual API endpoint configuration
All standard Star Tracker features on GHES

Automatic Configuration

When running on GitHub Enterprise Server runners, the API URL is automatically detected.

Using GHES Runners

name: Track Stars

on:
  schedule:
    - cron: '0 0 * * *'
  workflow_dispatch:

permissions:
  contents: write

jobs:
  track:
    runs-on: [self-hosted, enterprise]  # GHES runner
    steps:
      - uses: fbuireu/github-star-tracker@v1
        with:
          github-token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_STAR_TRACKER_TOKEN }}
          # API URL automatically detected from GITHUB_API_URL environment variable

On GHES runners, the GITHUB_API_URL environment variable is automatically set by GitHub Enterprise.

Manual Configuration

For runners that don’t auto-detect the API URL, specify it manually.

Setting API URL Explicitly

From the action.yml specification (action.yml:14-17):

github-api-url:
  description: 'GitHub API base URL for GitHub Enterprise Server (e.g. https://github.example.com/api/v3). Auto-detected on GHES runners.'
  required: false
  default: ''

Workflow Configuration

- uses: fbuireu/github-star-tracker@v1
  with:
    github-token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_STAR_TRACKER_TOKEN }}
    github-api-url: 'https://github.example.com/api/v3'

Identify Your GHES API URL

Your GitHub Enterprise Server API URL follows this format:

https://[your-ghes-hostname]/api/v3

For example:

https://github.company.com/api/v3
https://git.enterprise.org/api/v3

Add API URL to Workflow

Update your workflow file:

- uses: fbuireu/github-star-tracker@v1
  with:
    github-token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_STAR_TRACKER_TOKEN }}
    github-api-url: 'https://github.company.com/api/v3'

Test the Configuration

Run the workflow manually to verify the API URL is correct and accessible.

Personal Access Token for GHES

Create a PAT on your GitHub Enterprise Server instance:

Navigate to GHES Token Settings

Go to your GHES instance:

https://[your-ghes-hostname]/settings/tokens

Generate New Token

Click Generate new token > Generate new token (classic)
Note: Enter a descriptive name like Star Tracker
Expiration: Set your preferred expiration

Select Scopes

Choose the appropriate scope:

repo - Full control (required for private repos)
public_repo - Public repos only

Generate and Save

Click Generate token
Copy the token immediately
Store as repository secret GITHUB_STAR_TRACKER_TOKEN

PAT requirements are the same for GHES as for GitHub.com. See the Personal Access Token guide for detailed instructions.

Complete GHES Workflow Example

Full workflow configuration for GitHub Enterprise Server:

name: Track Stars (GitHub Enterprise)

on:
  schedule:
    - cron: '0 0 * * 0'  # Weekly
  workflow_dispatch:

permissions:
  contents: write

jobs:
  track:
    runs-on: [self-hosted, enterprise]  # GHES runner
    
    steps:
      - name: Track repository stars
        uses: fbuireu/github-star-tracker@v1
        with:
          # Authentication
          github-token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_STAR_TRACKER_TOKEN }}
          
          # GHES Configuration
          github-api-url: 'https://github.company.com/api/v3'
          
          # Standard Options
          visibility: 'all'
          include-charts: true
          data-branch: 'star-tracker-data'
          max-history: '52'
          locale: 'en'

Using with GitHub.com Runners

If using GitHub.com-hosted runners to track GHES repositories:

jobs:
  track:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest  # GitHub.com runner
    
    steps:
      - uses: fbuireu/github-star-tracker@v1
        with:
          github-token: ${{ secrets.GHES_TOKEN }}
          github-api-url: 'https://github.company.com/api/v3'  # Must specify

When using GitHub.com runners with GHES, you MUST explicitly set github-api-url. It will not be auto-detected.

Network and Firewall Considerations

Runner Network Access

Ensure your runners can reach the GHES API:

# Test connectivity before running Star Tracker
steps:
  - name: Test GHES API connectivity
    run: |
      curl -f https://github.company.com/api/v3 || exit 1
      echo "GHES API is reachable"
  
  - uses: fbuireu/github-star-tracker@v1
    with:
      github-token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_STAR_TRACKER_TOKEN }}
      github-api-url: 'https://github.company.com/api/v3'

Firewall Rules

Ensure these ports are open:

Port	Protocol	Purpose
443	HTTPS	GHES API access
22	SSH	Git operations (optional)

Proxy Configuration

If using a corporate proxy:

env:
  HTTP_PROXY: 'http://proxy.company.com:8080'
  HTTPS_PROXY: 'http://proxy.company.com:8080'
  NO_PROXY: 'localhost,127.0.0.1'

steps:
  - uses: fbuireu/github-star-tracker@v1
    with:
      github-token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_STAR_TRACKER_TOKEN }}
      github-api-url: 'https://github.company.com/api/v3'

SSL/TLS Certificates

Self-Signed Certificates

If your GHES instance uses self-signed certificates:

env:
  NODE_TLS_REJECT_UNAUTHORIZED: '0'  # Disable SSL verification (not recommended for production)

steps:
  - uses: fbuireu/github-star-tracker@v1
    with:
      github-token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_STAR_TRACKER_TOKEN }}
      github-api-url: 'https://github.company.com/api/v3'

Disabling SSL verification reduces security. For production, use properly signed certificates or configure custom CA certificates.

Custom CA Certificates

For enterprise CA certificates:

steps:
  - name: Install custom CA certificate
    run: |
      sudo cp /path/to/ca-cert.crt /usr/local/share/ca-certificates/
      sudo update-ca-certificates
  
  - uses: fbuireu/github-star-tracker@v1
    with:
      github-token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_STAR_TRACKER_TOKEN }}
      github-api-url: 'https://github.company.com/api/v3'

Version Compatibility

Supported GHES Versions

GitHub Star Tracker is compatible with:

GitHub Enterprise Server 3.0+
GitHub Enterprise Server 2.22+ (with REST API v3)

Star Tracker uses the GitHub REST API v3, which is stable across GHES versions. As long as your GHES instance supports REST API v3, Star Tracker should work.

Checking GHES API Version

Verify your GHES API is accessible:

curl https://github.company.com/api/v3

Expected response:

{
  "current_user_url": "https://github.company.com/api/v3/user",
  "authorizations_url": "https://github.company.com/api/v3/authorizations",
  // ...
}

Troubleshooting

Connection Refused or Timeout

Verify API URL

Ensure the API URL is correct:

https://[hostname]/api/v3

NOT:

https://[hostname]/api/  # Missing v3
https://[hostname]/      # Missing /api/v3

Test Connectivity

From the runner, test access:

curl -v https://github.company.com/api/v3

Check Firewall Rules

Ensure port 443 is open from runner to GHES instance.

Verify DNS Resolution

Ensure the GHES hostname resolves:

nslookup github.company.com

Authentication Errors

401 Unauthorized:

Verify PAT is created on the correct GHES instance
Ensure PAT has required scopes (repo or public_repo)
Check PAT hasn’t expired

403 Forbidden:

PAT may lack necessary permissions
Organization policies may restrict API access
Rate limit may be exceeded (check X-RateLimit-Remaining header)

SSL Certificate Errors

Error: unable to verify the first certificate

Solutions:

Install custom CA certificate on runner
Use properly signed certificate on GHES
As last resort, disable SSL verification (not recommended)

API URL Not Auto-Detected

If running on GHES runners but API URL isn’t detected:

# Manually specify even on GHES runners
- uses: fbuireu/github-star-tracker@v1
  with:
    github-token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_STAR_TRACKER_TOKEN }}
    github-api-url: ${{ env.GITHUB_API_URL }}  # Use env var if set

Mixed Environments

Tracking Both GitHub.com and GHES

You cannot track both GitHub.com and GHES repos in a single workflow run. Use separate workflows:

# .github/workflows/track-github-com.yml
name: Track Stars (GitHub.com)

jobs:
  track-cloud:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: fbuireu/github-star-tracker@v1
        with:
          github-token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_COM_TOKEN }}
          data-branch: 'stars-github-com'

# .github/workflows/track-ghes.yml
name: Track Stars (GHES)

jobs:
  track-enterprise:
    runs-on: [self-hosted, enterprise]
    steps:
      - uses: fbuireu/github-star-tracker@v1
        with:
          github-token: ${{ secrets.GHES_TOKEN }}
          github-api-url: 'https://github.company.com/api/v3'
          data-branch: 'stars-ghes'

Security Considerations

Token Security

Never commit GHES tokens to repositories
Use repository secrets for token storage
Rotate tokens regularly
Use minimum required scopes

Network Security

Use HTTPS (not HTTP) for API URLs
Validate SSL certificates in production
Restrict runner network access to necessary endpoints
Use proxy servers if required by organization policy

Audit and Compliance

GHES administrators can audit PAT usage
Review Star Tracker’s API calls in GHES audit logs
Ensure compliance with organization data policies

Get Started

Core Concepts

Configuration

Features

Guides

Overview

Automatic Configuration

Using GHES Runners

Manual Configuration

Setting API URL Explicitly

Workflow Configuration

Personal Access Token for GHES

Complete GHES Workflow Example

Using with GitHub.com Runners

Network and Firewall Considerations

Runner Network Access

Firewall Rules

Proxy Configuration

SSL/TLS Certificates

Self-Signed Certificates

Custom CA Certificates

Version Compatibility

Supported GHES Versions

Checking GHES API Version

Troubleshooting

Connection Refused or Timeout

Authentication Errors

SSL Certificate Errors

API URL Not Auto-Detected

Mixed Environments

Tracking Both GitHub.com and GHES

Security Considerations

Token Security

Network Security

Audit and Compliance

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get Started

Core Concepts

Configuration

Features

Guides

Documentation Index

​Overview

​Automatic Configuration

​Using GHES Runners

​Manual Configuration

​Setting API URL Explicitly

​Workflow Configuration

​Personal Access Token for GHES

​Complete GHES Workflow Example

​Using with GitHub.com Runners

​Network and Firewall Considerations

​Runner Network Access

​Firewall Rules

​Proxy Configuration

​SSL/TLS Certificates

​Self-Signed Certificates

​Custom CA Certificates

​Version Compatibility

​Supported GHES Versions

​Checking GHES API Version

​Troubleshooting

​Connection Refused or Timeout

​Authentication Errors

​SSL Certificate Errors

​API URL Not Auto-Detected

​Mixed Environments

​Tracking Both GitHub.com and GHES

​Security Considerations

​Token Security

​Network Security

​Audit and Compliance

​Related Resources

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Overview

Automatic Configuration

Using GHES Runners

Manual Configuration

Setting API URL Explicitly

Workflow Configuration

Personal Access Token for GHES

Complete GHES Workflow Example

Using with GitHub.com Runners

Network and Firewall Considerations

Runner Network Access

Firewall Rules

Proxy Configuration

SSL/TLS Certificates

Self-Signed Certificates

Custom CA Certificates

Version Compatibility

Supported GHES Versions

Checking GHES API Version

Troubleshooting

Connection Refused or Timeout

Authentication Errors

SSL Certificate Errors

API URL Not Auto-Detected

Mixed Environments

Tracking Both GitHub.com and GHES

Security Considerations

Token Security

Network Security

Audit and Compliance

Related Resources