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Version: Early Access

Tekton Container Plugin

The Tekton Container Plugin for Digital.ai Release lets you trigger and monitor Tekton pipelines from a release flow. Tekton is a Kubernetes-native CI/CD engine that defines workflows using custom resources such as Pipeline, Task, and PipelineRun.

This plugin adds Kubernetes-native CI/CD automation to your release orchestration, supporting traceability and efficient delivery pipelines.

Key Benefits​

  • Run Tekton pipelines as part of broader enterprise releases
  • Monitor execution status in real-time from within Release
  • Reduce context switching between Tekton dashboards and Release
  • Automate container-based builds, tests, or deployments using Kubernetes-native tools

Available Tasks​

The plugin provides the following task types:

Prerequisites​

Before using the plugin, ensure the following are available:

  • A Tekton Pipelines installation running in a Kubernetes cluster.
  • Tekton plugin installed in Digital.ai Release.
How to install a plugin in Release?

To install a plugin:

  1. Open Release.
  2. Click the cog icon on the top right.
  3. Select Manage Plugins.
  4. Search for Tekton.
  5. Click Install Now next to the Tekton plugin.

For more information, see Plugin Manager.

Connect Release to Tekton​

  1. Go to the Connections tab in Release.
  2. Click the + button next to Tekton: Server (Container).
  3. Provide the connection details:
FieldDescription
TitleA name for this Tekton server connection.
URLFull base URL of the Tekton API server (for example, https://tekton-api.mycompany.com).
SSL Verification (Optional)Enable to enforce TLS/SSL verification.
Authentication Token (Optional)Provide a bearer token for secured API access.
CapabilitiesDefines routing rules for Release Runners. Add one or more capability labels to direct tasks to appropriate runners.
  1. To save the connection, click Save.
note

If you use a Kubernetes Service Account token, make sure the account has permissions for pipelines, pipelineruns, tasks, taskruns, pods, and events.

Connecting to Tekton Server UI

Tekton: Trigger Pipeline Run (Container)​

This task starts a new Tekton pipeline run in a given Kubernetes namespace. You can also wait for the pipeline to finish and capture its final status.

The task also retrieves associated Tekton task runs and formats the pipeline run output for easier readability in Release logs.

Configuration Fields​

FieldDescription
CapabilitiesOptional capabilities used to route the task to a specific remote runner.
ServerSelect the Tekton server connection.
NamespaceKubernetes namespace where the Tekton pipeline run will be created.
Pipeline run YAMLComplete YAML specification for the PipelineRun. Must include apiVersion, kind, metadata, and spec.
Wait for completionIf enabled, the task waits until the PipelineRun is created and enters execution.
Retry wait timeTime, in seconds, between successive pipeline status checks when waiting is enabled.
Max retriesMaximum number of status check attempts when waiting is enabled.
Dashboard base URL (Optional)Base URL of the Tekton dashboard (for example, https://tekton-dashboard.mycompany.com). The pipeline run name is appended automatically.
note

If Wait for completion is enabled, the task updates the release task status to Succeeded, Failed, or In Progress, based on Tekton's pipeline result.

Example Scenario​

Trigger Pipeline Run

Tekton: Get Pipeline Run (Container)​

This task fetches the current status of a pipeline run. It’s helpful for:

  • Monitoring long-running pipelines
  • Polling for status outside Trigger Pipeline task
  • Displaying pipeline states in a release dashboard

It also retrieves related task runs and presents formatted output, making it easier to inspect execution details directly from the task log.

Configuration Fields​

FieldDescription
ServerTekton server connection to use.
NamespaceKubernetes namespace where the pipeline was run.
Pipeline nameName of the pipeline associated with the run.
Dashboard base URL (Optional)URL to the Tekton dashboard (for example, https://tekton-dashboard.mycompany.com). The actual run name will be appended automatically.

Get Pipeline Run

Tekton: Wait For Pipeline Run (Container)​

This task waits for an existing Tekton PipelineRun to reach a terminal state and updates the Release task status based on the pipeline result.
It does not create or trigger a new pipeline run.

During polling, the task retrieves associated task runs and formats output so key execution details are easier to read in Release.

Use this task when a pipeline run is started externally or by an earlier step in the release, and you want the release flow to wait until execution completes.

Configuration Fields​

FieldDescription
ServerSelect the Tekton server connection.
Pipeline run nameName of the existing Tekton PipelineRun to monitor.
NamespaceKubernetes namespace where the pipeline run exists.
Retry wait timeTime (in seconds) between successive status checks.
Max retriesMaximum number of status check attempts before the task fails.
Dashboard base URL (Optional)Base URL of the Tekton Dashboard (for example, https://tekton-dashboard.mycompany.com).

Wait For Pipeline Run Task

Example Use Case: CI/CD Pipeline with Tekton​

You can integrate Tekton into a multi-step enterprise pipeline like this:

  1. Initialize Infrastructure - Use a shell task or a Terraform plugin.
  2. Trigger Tekton Build - Use Trigger Pipeline Run (Container) to start the image build pipeline.
  3. Wait for Pipeline Completion - Use Wait For Pipeline Run (Container) to block the release until the pipeline run finishes.
  4. Retrieve Pipeline Status (Optional) - Use Get Pipeline Run (Container) to fetch or display the final pipeline status in the release UI.
  5. Deploy Artifacts - Continue with deployment tasks in Release or use plugins such as Argo CD or Kubernetes.