Introduction to Tekton architecture and design

Tekton is an open-source project that provides a set of Kubernetes-style resources for building, testing, and deploying cloud-native applications. It is designed to be a flexible and extensible framework for creating Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) pipelines within Kubernetes environments. Tekton enables developers to define and manage their CI/CD workflows as code, making it easy to version, share, and collaborate on pipeline definitions.

Here's an introduction to the architecture and design principles of Tekton:

1. Pipeline Resources:

• PipelineResources: Represent inputs and outputs to tasks in the pipeline. These could include source code repositories, Docker images, or any other resources needed for the pipeline.

2. Tasks:

• Tasks: Define a single, well-defined step in the pipeline. Tasks can be reusable components and are designed to be composed into more complex workflows.

3. Pipelines:

• Pipelines: Define a sequence of tasks and the relationships between them. Pipelines orchestrate the execution of tasks, allowing you to create complex workflows.

4. PipelineRuns:

• PipelineRuns: Instantiations of pipelines, representing a single execution of a pipeline with specific inputs and outputs.

5. Workspaces:

• Workspaces: Provide a way to share data between tasks in a pipeline. Workspaces allow you to pass files or directories from one task to another efficiently.

6. EventListeners:

• EventListeners: Trigger the execution of a pipeline in response to specific events, such as changes in a version control system. EventListeners enable automation of CI/CD processes.

7. TriggerBindings and TriggerTemplates:

• TriggerBindings and TriggerTemplates: Define the parameters and templates for EventListeners to use when processing events.

8. Interactivity and Reusability:

• Decoupled and composable: Tekton follows a modular design, enabling users to create reusable components such as tasks and pipelines. This promotes collaboration and code-sharing.

9. Kubernetes Native:

• Custom Resource Definitions (CRDs): Tekton relies on Kubernetes CRDs to define custom resources like Pipeline, Task, and PipelineRun. This makes it a native solution within Kubernetes environments.

10. Extensibility:

• Extensions: Tekton supports extensions to enhance its functionality. Users can create custom tasks and share them with the community, expanding the capabilities of Tekton.

11. Webhooks and Triggers:

• GitHub/GitLab triggers: Tekton integrates with version control systems like GitHub and GitLab to trigger pipeline execution upon code changes.

12. Security:

• Role-based access control (RBAC): Tekton leverages Kubernetes RBAC for access control, ensuring that users have appropriate permissions to create, modify, or execute pipelines.

In summary, Tekton provides a powerful, Kubernetes-native framework for building CI/CD pipelines. Its modular and extensible architecture makes it suitable for diverse workflows, and its integration with Kubernetes allows seamless deployment and scaling of CI/CD processes within containerized environments.