Pipeline as Code

A way to implement Pipeline as a code practice

Pipeline as code is a practice that defines deployment pipelines using source code like java or typescript, allowing teams to manage builds, tests, and deployments in a version-controlled manner

In this scenario i created a pipeline in a single file with java and typescript

Project

Let’s see what is inside

• hello-world contains a simple spring boot application used to test pipeline
• modules folder contains java and typescript pipeline called JavaBuild as Dagger.io module
• tools is used by Tilt and a Docker Compose to define all resources used by pipeline: jenkins, gitea, nexus (behind nginx) and jaeger.

Of course docker is mandatory

Dagger.io offer a lot of sdk so just choose your best option and create it, i used java and typescript.

The pipeline executed by Jenkins is described below

1. Checkout of Hello World source code
2. Checkout of Dagger Module source code
3. Run Dagger module (JavaBuild) as a command with parameters with (Dagger Cli)
4. A Dagger Engine will executed inside a container (Server)
5. Dagger Cli just wait the result of pipeline (Client)
6. At the end on Nexus should have the builded image

Jenkins Pipeline

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Pipeline Execution Graph

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Gitea is used as a local git to develop/update/fix pipeline

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Nexus as Artifact/Docker Registry

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Docker Registry

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Artifact Registry

Now let’s see in details the JavaBuild class which contains “pipeline”.

It contains a main method publish: test, deploy(artifact), buildImage and publish

Every step described before is a public method annotated too with Function, so is possible to call them singularly from Dagger Cli or combine them like publish to define pipeline.

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The advantage of this approach are

• Local and Isolated environment to run pipeline 🔁
• Debug, is possible to run a single step of pipeline or put some terminal breakpoint to see what happens
• Share, your teammates could change and test the pipeline at the same time 🔁
• Portability to another executor like Gitlab/Github
• Dagger Module leave control to Devops
• Community is very active ⭐

On the contrary

• Learning Curve, at start is little bit hard understand how it works. You will reach a good understanding after some tries
• Is necessary to know what offer the SDK
• Every step is executed on a Docker container, could be hard to manage them

Here the link to repository robertonav20/dagger-modules in case you would try it! 💻

Many thanks to Dagger.io community on Discord for the support received!