GitHub Actions is a tool I frequently use to manage my CI/CD workflows. Especially for many of my projects, automating build and test steps has been a huge convenience. However, I eventually realized that GitHub's hosted runners could be costly, especially for projects with intense workloads and long-running builds. This led me to wonder if I could reduce these costs by taking control of my own runner. With this thought in mind, I embarked on the journey of moving my GitHub Actions runner to my own virtual private server (VPS). This process not only helped me optimize costs but also gave me more control over my build environment. Having my own runner has proven to be invaluable for handling specific software dependencies, custom network configurations, or high-performance requirements. Why Did I Need My Own GitHub Actions Runner? GitHub's hosted runners are an excellent solution for many scenarios. However, as a developer with specific needs, I encountered some limitations.…