Continuous Integration (CI)
The Harness Continuous Integration (CI) module helps development teams automate code building, testing, and pushing processes to achieve efficient application delivery.Core Features
Intelligent Builds
- Test Intelligence: Smart test selection, only running tests affected by code changes, significantly reducing test time
- Cache Intelligence: Automatically cache dependencies and build artifacts to speed up subsequent builds
- Docker Layer Caching: Optimize container image layer caching to reduce build time
Build Infrastructure
- Managed Builds: Use Harness Cloud without managing build servers
- Self-Hosted Builds: Run builds on your Kubernetes cluster or VMs
- Dynamic Resource Allocation: Automatically adjust resource quotas based on build requirements
Pipeline Integration
- Multi-Repository Support: Handle multiple Git repositories in the same pipeline
- Visual Editor: Quickly build pipelines through a graphical interface
- YAML Editor: Support code-based pipeline configuration
- GitOps Integration: Deep integration with Git workflows
Use Cases
| Scenario | Description |
|---|---|
| Fast Feedback | Get build and test feedback immediately after code commits |
| Quality Gates | Ensure code changes pass all quality checks before moving to the next stage |
| Image Pushing | Automatically build and push Docker images to various container registries |
| Continuous Testing | Run complete test suites for every change |
Getting Started
1. Create a Pipeline
Create a new CI pipeline in Harness and select the Build stage type.2. Configure Codebase
Connect your Git repository. Harness supports:- GitHub
- GitLab
- Bitbucket
- Azure DevOps
3. Add Build Steps
Common build steps include:- Run Tests: Execute test suites
- Build and Push: Build and push images
- Plugin: Integrate third-party tools
- Upload Artifacts: Upload build artifacts
4. Configure Triggers
Set up triggers based on Git events (Push, PR) or scheduled tasks.Integration with Other Modules
The CI module integrates seamlessly with other Harness modules:- CD: Automatically trigger deployment after CI build completes
- STO: Integrate security scanning in the build stage
- CCM: Monitor cloud resource costs during builds
- FF: Combine with feature flags for progressive releases
Best Practices
- Keep Builds Fast: Optimize dependency caching and only run necessary tests
- Use Test Isolation: Ensure tests can run in parallel
- Fail Fast: Configure reasonable quality gates
- Log Builds: Keep complete build process logs for debugging