Actions and semi-direct products in categories of groups with action

Derived actions in the category of groups with action on itself $\mathbf{Gr}^{\bullet}$ are defined and described. This category plays a crucial role in the solution of Loday's two problems stated in the literature. A full subcategory of reduced groups with action $\mathbf{rGr}^{\bullet}$ of $\mathbf{Gr}^{\bullet}$ is introduced, which is not a category of interest but has some properties, which can be applied in the investigation of action representability in this category; these properties are similar to those, which were used in the construction of universal strict general actors in the category of interest. Semi-direct product constructions are given in $\mathbf{Gr}^{\bullet}$ and $\mathbf{rGr}^{\bullet}$ and it is proved that an action is a derived action in $\mathbf{Gr}^{\bullet}$ (resp. $\mathbf{rGr}^{\bullet}$) if and only if the corresponding semi-direct product is and object of $\mathbf{Gr}^{\bullet}$ (resp. $\mathbf{rGr}^{\bullet}$). The results obtained in this paper will be applied in the forthcoming paper on the representability of actions in the category $\mathbf{rGr}^{\bullet}$.