diegosouzapw Harness CD Skill
Comprehensive Harness CD (Continuous Delivery) for deployments across Kubernetes, Helm, Terraform, ECS, serverless, and traditional platforms with GitOps support.
When to Use This Skill
Activate this skill when:
- Creating or managing Harness CD pipelines
- Configuring deployment strategies (Canary, Blue-Green, Rolling)
- Setting up environments and infrastructure definitions
- Managing services and artifacts
- Configuring approval gates and governance
- Implementing GitOps workflows
- Setting up deployment verification and rollback
- Managing multi-environment promotion
- Troubleshooting deployment failures
CD Pipeline Structure
Basic Deployment Pipeline
pipeline:
name: Deploy Pipeline
identifier: deploy_pipeline
projectIdentifier: my_project
orgIdentifier: default
stages:
- stage:
name: Deploy to Dev
identifier: deploy_dev
type: Deployment
spec:
deploymentType: Kubernetes
service:
serviceRef: my_service
environment:
environmentRef: development
infrastructureDefinitions:
- identifier: dev_k8s
execution:
steps:
- step:
name: Rolling Deployment
identifier: rollingDeployment
type: K8sRollingDeploy
timeout: 10m
spec:
skipDryRun: false
rollbackSteps:
- step:
name: Rollback
identifier: rollback
type: K8sRollingRollback
timeout: 10m
Deployment Strategies
Rolling Deployment
Gradual replacement of instances:
- step:
name: Rolling Deploy
identifier: rolling
type: K8sRollingDeploy
spec:
skipDryRun: false
pruningEnabled: false
Canary Deployment
Progressive traffic shifting:
- stage:
name: Canary Deploy
identifier: canary
type: Deployment
spec:
deploymentType: Kubernetes
execution:
steps:
- stepGroup:
name: Canary Deployment
identifier: canaryDeployment
steps:
- step:
name: Canary Deployment
identifier: canaryDeploy
type: K8sCanaryDeploy
spec:
instanceSelection:
type: Count
spec:
count: 1
skipDryRun: false
- step:
name: Canary Delete
identifier: canaryDelete
type: K8sCanaryDelete
spec: {}
- stepGroup:
name: Primary Deployment
identifier: primaryDeployment
steps:
- step:
name: Rolling Deployment
identifier: rollingDeploy
type: K8sRollingDeploy
spec:
skipDryRun: false
Blue-Green Deployment
Zero-downtime with instant cutover:
- stage:
name: Blue-Green Deploy
identifier: blueGreen
type: Deployment
spec:
deploymentType: Kubernetes
execution:
steps:
- step:
name: Stage Deployment
identifier: stageDeployment
type: K8sBGStageDeployment
spec:
skipDryRun: false
- step:
name: Swap Primary
identifier: swapPrimary
type: K8sBGSwapServices
spec:
skipDryRun: false
rollbackSteps:
- step:
name: Swap Rollback
identifier: swapRollback
type: K8sBGSwapServices
spec:
skipDryRun: false
Service Configuration
Kubernetes Service
service:
name: My Service
identifier: my_service
serviceDefinition:
type: Kubernetes
spec:
manifests:
- manifest:
identifier: k8s_manifest
type: K8sManifest
spec:
store:
type: Git
spec:
connectorRef: github_connector
gitFetchType: Branch
paths:
- k8s/
branch: main
artifacts:
primary:
primaryArtifactRef: <+input>
sources:
- identifier: docker_image
type: DockerRegistry
spec:
connectorRef: docker_connector
imagePath: myorg/myapp
tag: <+input>
Helm Service
service:
name: Helm Service
identifier: helm_service
serviceDefinition:
type: NativeHelm
spec:
manifests:
- manifest:
identifier: helm_chart
type: HelmChart
spec:
store:
type: Http
spec:
connectorRef: helm_repo
chartName: my-app
chartVersion: <+input>
helmVersion: V3
artifacts:
primary:
primaryArtifactRef: docker_image
sources:
- identifier: docker_image
type: DockerRegistry
spec:
connectorRef: docker_connector
imagePath: myorg/myapp
tag: <+input>
Terraform Service
service:
name: Terraform Service
identifier: terraform_service
serviceDefinition:
type: CustomDeployment
spec:
customDeploymentRef:
templateRef: terraform_template
versionLabel: v1
Environment Configuration
Environment Types
# Development
environment:
name: Development
identifier: development
type: PreProduction
orgIdentifier: default
projectIdentifier: my_project
# Staging
environment:
name: Staging
identifier: staging
type: PreProduction
tags:
tier: staging
auto_deploy: "true"
# Production
environment:
name: Production
identifier: production
type: Production
tags:
tier: production
requires_approval: "true"
Infrastructure Definition
infrastructureDefinition:
name: K8s Dev Cluster
identifier: k8s_dev
type: KubernetesDirect
orgIdentifier: default
projectIdentifier: my_project
environmentRef: development
spec:
connectorRef: k8s_connector
namespace: my-namespace
releaseName: release-<+INFRA_KEY>
Approval Gates
Manual Approval
- step:
name: Approval
identifier: approval
type: HarnessApproval
timeout: 1d
spec:
approvalMessage: "Please review and approve deployment to production"
includePipelineExecutionHistory: true
approvers:
userGroups:
- account.ProductionApprovers
minimumCount: 1
disallowPipelineExecutor: true
approverInputs:
- name: releaseNotes
defaultValue: ""
Jira Approval
- step:
name: Jira Approval
identifier: jiraApproval
type: JiraApproval
timeout: 1d
spec:
connectorRef: jira_connector
projectKey: DEPLOY
issueKey: <+pipeline.variables.jiraIssueKey>
approvalCriteria:
type: KeyValues
spec:
matchAnyCondition: true
conditions:
- key: Status
operator: equals
value: Approved
rejectionCriteria:
type: KeyValues
spec:
matchAnyCondition: true
conditions:
- key: Status
operator: equals
value: Rejected
ServiceNow Approval
- step:
name: ServiceNow Approval
identifier: snowApproval
type: ServiceNowApproval
timeout: 1d
spec:
connectorRef: servicenow_connector
ticketNumber: <+pipeline.variables.changeRequest>
ticketType: CHANGE_REQUEST
approvalCriteria:
type: KeyValues
spec:
conditions:
- key: state
operator: equals
value: "3" # Approved state
GitOps Deployments
Argo CD Integration
- stage:
name: GitOps Deploy
identifier: gitops_deploy
type: Deployment
spec:
deploymentType: Kubernetes
gitOpsEnabled: true
execution:
steps:
- step:
name: Update Release Repo
identifier: updateReleaseRepo
type: GitOpsUpdateReleaseRepo
spec:
variables:
- name: image_tag
value: <+artifact.tag>
- step:
name: Sync Application
identifier: syncApp
type: GitOpsFetchLinkedApps
spec: {}
- step:
name: Sync and Wait
identifier: syncWait
type: GitOpsSync
spec:
prune: true
dryRun: false
applyOnly: false
forceApply: false
PR-Based GitOps
- step:
name: Create PR
identifier: createPR
type: CreatePR
spec:
connectorRef: github_connector
repoName: gitops-config
sourceBranch: release/<+pipeline.sequenceId>
targetBranch: main
title: "Deploy <+service.name> to <+env.name>"
commitMessage: "Update image tag to <+artifact.tag>"
updateType: Json
updates:
- path: environments/<+env.name>/values.yaml
key: image.tag
value: <+artifact.tag>
- step:
name: Merge PR
identifier: mergePR
type: MergePR
spec:
connectorRef: github_connector
prNumber: <+pipeline.stages.Deploy.spec.execution.steps.createPR.output.prNumber>
deleteSourceBranch: true
Deployment Verification
Continuous Verification
- step:
name: Verify Deployment
identifier: verify
type: Verify
timeout: 2h
spec:
type: Canary
monitoredService:
type: Default
spec: {}
spec:
sensitivity: MEDIUM
duration: 15m
deploymentTag: <+artifacts.primary.tag>
Health Checks
- step:
name: HTTP Health Check
identifier: healthCheck
type: Http
timeout: 5m
spec:
url: <+infra.variables.serviceUrl>/health
method: GET
assertion: <+httpResponseCode> == 200
headers: []
Rollback Strategies
Automatic Rollback
execution:
steps:
- step:
name: Deploy
identifier: deploy
type: K8sRollingDeploy
spec:
skipDryRun: false
rollbackSteps:
- step:
name: Rollback
identifier: rollback
type: K8sRollingRollback
timeout: 10m
spec: {}
failureStrategies:
- onFailure:
errors:
- AllErrors
action:
type: StageRollback
Manual Rollback
- step:
name: Rollback Confirmation
identifier: rollbackConfirm
type: HarnessApproval
spec:
approvalMessage: "Approve rollback to previous version?"
approvers:
userGroups:
- account.Deployers
- step:
name: Execute Rollback
identifier: executeRollback
type: K8sRollingRollback
spec: {}
Multi-Environment Promotion
Environment Pipeline
pipeline:
name: Multi-Env Deploy
identifier: multi_env_deploy
stages:
- stage:
name: Deploy to Dev
identifier: deploy_dev
type: Deployment
spec:
deploymentType: Kubernetes
environment:
environmentRef: development
- stage:
name: Deploy to Staging
identifier: deploy_staging
type: Deployment
spec:
deploymentType: Kubernetes
environment:
environmentRef: staging
when:
pipelineStatus: Success
condition: <+pipeline.stages.deploy_dev.status> == "SUCCEEDED"
- stage:
name: Approval for Production
identifier: prod_approval
type: Approval
spec:
execution:
steps:
- step:
type: HarnessApproval
spec:
approvers:
userGroups:
- account.ProductionApprovers
- stage:
name: Deploy to Production
identifier: deploy_prod
type: Deployment
spec:
deploymentType: Kubernetes
environment:
environmentRef: production
Triggers
Artifact Trigger
trigger:
name: New Artifact Trigger
identifier: artifact_trigger
pipelineIdentifier: deploy_pipeline
source:
type: Artifact
spec:
type: DockerRegistry
spec:
connectorRef: docker_connector
imagePath: myorg/myapp
tag: <+trigger.artifact.build>
Webhook Trigger
trigger:
name: GitHub Webhook
identifier: github_webhook
pipelineIdentifier: deploy_pipeline
source:
type: Webhook
spec:
type: Github
spec:
type: Push
spec:
connectorRef: github_connector
autoAbortPreviousExecutions: true
payloadConditions:
- key: targetBranch
operator: Equals
value: main
Scheduled Trigger
trigger:
name: Nightly Deploy
identifier: nightly_deploy
pipelineIdentifier: deploy_pipeline
source:
type: Scheduled
spec:
type: Cron
spec:
expression: "0 2 * * *" # 2 AM daily
timezone: America/Los_Angeles
CD Expressions
| Expression | Description |
|---|---|
<+service.name> |
Service name |
<+service.identifier> |
Service identifier |
<+env.name> |
Environment name |
<+env.identifier> |
Environment identifier |
<+env.type> |
Environment type |
<+infra.name> |
Infrastructure name |
<+infra.connectorRef> |
Infrastructure connector |
<+infra.namespace> |
Kubernetes namespace |
<+artifact.image> |
Full artifact image |
<+artifact.tag> |
Artifact tag |
<+artifact.imagePath> |
Artifact image path |
<+pipeline.stages.STAGE.output.VAR> |
Stage output variable |
API Operations
Execute Deployment
curl -X POST "https://app.harness.io/pipeline/api/pipeline/execute/${PIPELINE_ID}?accountIdentifier=${ACCOUNT}&orgIdentifier=${ORG}&projectIdentifier=${PROJECT}" \
-H "x-api-key: ${API_KEY}" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"runtimeInputYaml": "pipeline:\n stages:\n - stage:\n identifier: deploy\n spec:\n serviceConfig:\n serviceRef: my_service\n artifactSource:\n image: myorg/myapp:v1.2.3"
}'
Get Deployment Status
curl -X GET "https://app.harness.io/pipeline/api/pipelines/execution/v2/${EXECUTION_ID}?accountIdentifier=${ACCOUNT}&orgIdentifier=${ORG}&projectIdentifier=${PROJECT}" \
-H "x-api-key: ${API_KEY}"
Trigger Rollback
curl -X PUT "https://app.harness.io/pipeline/api/pipelines/execution/interrupt/${EXECUTION_ID}?accountIdentifier=${ACCOUNT}&orgIdentifier=${ORG}&projectIdentifier=${PROJECT}" \
-H "x-api-key: ${API_KEY}" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"interruptType": "CUSTOM_FAILURE"}'
Troubleshooting
Common Issues
| Issue | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Deployment timeout | Resource limits | Increase step timeout |
| Image pull failed | Auth issue | Verify connector credentials |
| Namespace not found | Infrastructure issue | Check infrastructure definition |
| Manifest error | Invalid YAML | Validate manifests locally |
| Approval timeout | No approver action | Review approval workflow |
| Rollback failed | Missing rollback steps | Add rollback configuration |
Debug Steps
- step:
name: Debug Info
identifier: debug
type: ShellScript
spec:
shell: Bash
source:
type: Inline
spec:
script: |
echo "=== Deployment Debug ==="
echo "Service: <+service.name>"
echo "Environment: <+env.name>"
echo "Artifact: <+artifact.image>:<+artifact.tag>"
echo "Namespace: <+infra.namespace>"
kubectl get pods -n <+infra.namespace>
kubectl get events -n <+infra.namespace> --sort-by='.lastTimestamp'
Best Practices
- Use service overrides for environment-specific configurations
- Implement approval gates for production deployments
- Configure rollback strategies for all deployment types
- Use GitOps for declarative deployments
- Implement deployment verification with CV or custom health checks
- Tag resources for cost tracking and governance
- Use variables for reusable pipeline configurations
- Implement failure strategies at stage and step levels