Cloud computing has revolutionized the way we operate and live. Before the cloud, computers and the World Wide Web were not utilized as much as now. Thanks to the cloud and its various advantages, enterprises worldwide underwent a tectonic change, encouraging the development of another production approach: DevOps.
DevOps is one of the most significant paradigm shifts the world has experienced. It has improved the production process by merging the development and operations teams. While they seem different, these approaches have catalyzed each other’s growth and global proliferation.
One integral component of DevOps, supported by the cloud, is Continuous Integration and Continuous Development (CI/CD). This pipeline propagates the project’s perennial development, rolled out as iterative deliverables. Unfortunately, while the concept sounds fascinating, CI/CD pipelines are easier said than done.
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The DevOps engineers would know how messy CI/CD pipelines are, from an inexplicable jumble of complex tools to integrations and changes that require a unique team of engineers to track the project changes. This goes against the fundamentals of CI/CD, as this concept is about making productivity a cakewalk.
One of the biggest impediments that stunt the progress of this pipeline is a large project that houses various variables and subsystems. From containers to Kubernetes, various components don’t gel well with the CI/CD concept, as the project team would use more than a handful of tools at any given instance. This usage creates enough chaos for the DevOps team to clutch their heads and lead them to guess their strategy second.
Thankfully, there is a solution to this messy problem: Tekton. So, without much ado, let’s delve into what this solution is all about.
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Tekton: Your CI/CD Solution
One of Tekton’s primary likable traits is that it is open-source. This tool aims to improve CI/CD systems by providing the required support to DevOps. While most cloud vendors offer the same tools, Tekton is a class above the others. DevOps members can create a serverless and scalable CI/CD pipeline from the outset. The cloud-native supportive tool lends unparalleled flexibility and compatibility.
Tekton is compatible with Jenkins, Skaffold, Knative, and other CI/CD tools. It doubled down on the CI/CD streamlining by being compatible with all major cloud vendors, environments, and programming languages. As one may have guessed, it is backed by the Linux Foundation, which has funded many popular open-source projects.
Cutting to the chase, Tekton simplifies and streamlines the CI/CD approach by creating reusable pipelines that rely on Kubernetes CRDs to achieve simplicity.
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The open-source tool effectively runs on three principles:
- Betterment: There is always scope for improvement and value engineering. Tekton aims to lend better core services and control and amp up deployment automation.
- Performance Support: The weakest link decides the chain’s strength, and it is paramount not to let any component deteriorate. Tekton’s first maxim buttresses the second tenet by creating enough components that enhance the execution of various tasks, ranging from testing to performance monitoring.
- Streamlining: Coordination is the key to avoiding confusion-induced chaos. Tekton focuses on streamlining the workflow execution by enabling the DevOps team to decide how and when the workflow should be implemented.
The open-source tool simplifies the existing concept rather than creating a new one that would confound the already burgeoned DevOps team.
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How Tekton works
One critical ingredient of a successful strategy is mapping out the essential steps to be carried out. Tekton helps DevOps members list what needs to be performed and how. Its simplified approach enables seamless execution. Let’s explore the tool’s unique strategy.
1) Steps
Although planning sounds basic, it is one of the most critical steps. Using Tekton, the DevOps team can list the steps they must undertake. Then, using the step process, the project members can define an image and the required information pertinent to executing the deliverable.
2) Tasks
It is not uncommon for a task to have various steps. After planning the steps in the first stage, the DevOps engineers can specify the finer tasks that Tekton has to execute. The goal can be specified at this stage. From testing to docker image execution, Tekton can handle various tasks that typically burden the project members.
3) Pipelines
We finally arrive at the crux of the blog post: the pipeline. The concept allows the DevOps team to detail the project process and arrange the tasks in the order that the team should proceed. Every action item at this stage allows you to build a progressive pipeline that can house the task compromising, which would compromise multiple steps, and the completion of one task would lead to another. With Tekton’s usage, the DevOps team would achieve node control and steer the work in their direction.
4) Installing Tekton
Tekton’s significant advantage is its compatibility. Tekton gels well with AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud. The open-source tool runs natively on K8s, requiring one to have the K8s cluster version 1.15. Users must also enable Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) and lend the user cluster-admin status.
Tekton requires using Persistent Volumes (another K8s feature), which is pertinent for using CI/CD pipelines. However, this is not a big deal, as some K8s engines, like GKE, come with an enabled Persistent Volumes option. One can also use Tekton to choose a Google Cloud Storage bucket or the respective buckets available in AWS and Azure.
However, Tekton’s storage options affect the tool’s performance. One of the other benefits of using Tekton is that it works on all three major operating systems: macOS, Windows, and Linux.
AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud have made significant efforts to support Tekton. In addition, Google Cloud has gone the extra mile to sponsor Knative, which encourages Tekton integration. IBM Redhat is also pitching its efforts to advance Knative, and it is clear that the industry has recognized Tekton’s potential.
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In conclusion
Continuous improvement of projects is now crucial, as that is one approach to keeping solutions relevant. Tekton will be one of the components driving your growth. It is essential to understand that CI/CD is just one of the DevOps components and that the production approach has much more to offer.
Veritis is a leading DevOps consulting company. With its experienced team of experts, Veritis has guided various companies to embrace their true potential by integrating their existing workflows with DevOps. So, without further ado, reach out to Veritis and become DevOps-ready!
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