[Performance] `actions/setup-node` becomes slow (taking seconds)

[SukkaW]

Description:

Currently, the step actions/setup-node@v2

A clear and concise description of what the bug is.

Action version: v4

Platform:

• Ubuntu
• macOS
• Windows

ubuntu-24.04-arm

Runner type:

• Hosted
• Self-hosted

Tools version:

  node: v24.4.1
  npm: 11.4.2
  yarn: 1.22.22

Doesn't matter.

Repro steps:

https://github.com/SukkaW/Surge/actions/runs/16651775508/job/47126170908

Expected behavior:

Normally, the actions/setup-node should take no more than 3 seconds.

Actual behavior:

Now, it is taking 4~7 seconds to finish the step. Note that in the screenshot, the pnpm cache restore took less than a second (the cache was downloaded at a speed of 60.5 MiB/s). The download of Node.js took the rest of the seconds.

I suspect that it might have something to do with networking between the hosted runners and the GitHub release (which is hosted on AWS S3 and is decelerated accelerated by Slowly Fastly CDN). Ideally, the tools should be downloaded from the runners' intranet, not through the Internet.

[aparnajyothi-y]

Hello @SukkaW, Thank you for creating this issue and we will look into it :)

[priyagupta108]

Hello @SukkaW 👋,

The setup-node action retrieves Node.js binaries from the official CDN over the public internet, so download speeds can vary based on network conditions. In CI/CD environments, it’s common for a fresh download to take a few seconds. If the requested Node.js version is already pre-installed and available in the runner’s toolcache directory, setup is almost instantaneous. For versions that aren’t pre-installed, a CDN download is required, and a duration of 4–7 seconds is normal for this operation.

For this runner image, only a limited set of Node.js versions can be pre-installed. If the Node.js version you request in actions/setup-node is not pre-installed, it will be downloaded from the public Internet, which takes extra time.

On ubuntu-24.04-arm from actions/partner-runner-images, Node.js is not pre-cached, so setup-node will always download the specified version unless it’s pre-installed. Users do not have control over the runners’ internal network or pre-caching of additional binaries.

If you require faster setup times and more control, you might consider using a self-hosted runner. Node.js versions installed via setup-node are cached locally on self-hosted runners, so subsequent jobs can reuse them without downloading again. This can significantly speed up your workflows.

Hope this clarifies things!