Path Filters

ELI5 — The Vibe Check

Path Filters make your CI only run when specific files change. Changed a README? Skip the build. Changed source code? Run everything. It's like a smart doorbell that only rings when the right person shows up, not when the neighbor's cat walks by.

Real Talk

Path filters in CI/CD (paths/paths-ignore in GitHub Actions, rules:changes in GitLab CI) conditionally trigger workflows based on which files were modified. This reduces unnecessary builds and saves CI minutes by skipping irrelevant changes.

Show Me The Code

on:
  push:
    paths:
      - 'src/**'
      - 'package.json'
    paths-ignore:
      - '**.md'
      - 'docs/**'

When You'll Hear This

"Path filters skip CI when only docs change — saves 500 runner minutes a month." / "The deploy workflow only triggers on changes to the src/ directory."