Ubuntu 24.04 not using latest image version

[kavinvalli]

Why are you starting this discussion?

Question

What GitHub Actions topic or product is this about?

Actions Runner Image

Discussion Details

Trying to use Rust 1.88 which is available in the Ubuntu 24.04 version 20250629.1.0 but when using the ubuntu-24.04 image on the workflow it uses the version 20250622.1.0 which has Rust 1.87 - Is there any way I can use the latest version by specifying it or is there some workaround to make that work?

[aidarmen]

as seen in your screenshot your workflow is still using an older version because:

• GitHub Actions runners like ubuntu-24.04 are automatically updated, but not instantly or globally.
• Runner images are gradually rolled out across data centers.

You can't manually specify a particular image version (not supported).

try adding manuall. in Yaml file

- name: Install Rust 1.88
  run: |
    rustup install 1.88.0
    rustup default 1.88.0

[kavinvalli]

Ah that makes sense - unfortunately we're using cargo-dist so manually editing the yaml raises issues with that
I know there are ways to workaround that but wanted a cleaner solution. Thank you though!

[subir0071]

Currently we have version 1.89 in ubuntu-24.04
https://github.com/actions/runner-images/blob/main/images/ubuntu/Ubuntu2404-Readme.md#rust-tools

[jihanurrahman33]

Hi @kavinvalli,

This happens because the ubuntu-24.04 label points to whatever image version is currently available in the runner pool that picks up your job. Image updates roll out gradually across regions/scale units, so you can’t force a specific image version (e.g., 20250629.1.0) in a hosted runner job.

TL;DR: You can’t pin the hosted image version. Use one of the workarounds below.

---

Workarounds

1) Install the Rust toolchain you need in the job (recommended)

Don’t rely on the image’s preinstalled Rust. Explicitly install/pin Rust 1.88:

Option A — via rustup

runs-on: ubuntu-24.04
steps:
  - uses: actions/checkout@v4
  - name: Install Rust 1.88
    run: |
      curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh -s -- -y --default-toolchain 1.88.0
      echo "$HOME/.cargo/bin" >> $GITHUB_PATH
  - name: Verify
    run: rustc --version

Option B — via an action

runs-on: ubuntu-24.04
steps:
  - uses: actions/checkout@v4
  - uses: dtolnay/rust-toolchain@master
    with:
      toolchain: 1.88.0
  - run: rustc --version

This works regardless of which runner image version you land on.

---

2) Build inside a container that already has Rust 1.88

jobs:
  build:
    runs-on: ubuntu-24.04
    container: rust:1.88
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - run: rustc --version
      - run: cargo build --release

This isolates you from the host image’s tool versions.

---

3) Use a self-hosted runner (if you must pin everything)

You control the base OS and toolchain—so you can lock versions exactly. This is heavier operationally.

---

Tips

• You can print the current image version for debugging:

  - name: Show image version
    run: echo "ImageVersion=$ImageVersion"

• Even when the image eventually updates (and tool caches change), your workflow will stay stable if you pin Rust explicitly as shown above.

Hope this helps!

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