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Use Harness Cloud build infrastructure

With Harness Cloud, you can run builds in isolation on Harness-hosted VMs that are preconfigured with tools, packages, and settings commonly used in CI pipelines. Harness hosts, maintains, and upgrades these machines so that you can focus on building software instead of maintaining build infrastructure.

Harness Cloud provides the following advantages:

  • Free monthly credits for up to 2,000 build minutes.
  • Starter pipelines for different programming languages.
  • Blazing fast builds on Linux, macOS, and Windows.
  • Get the latest features first. Harness may enable features for Harness Cloud before rolling them out to other build infrastructure options.

For a comparison of build infrastructure options, go to Which build infrastructure is right for me.

What happens when pipelines run on Harness Cloud?

When a build runs on Harness Cloud, Harness runs each CI stage in a new, ephemeral VM.

Example pipeline on Harness Cloud

The steps in each stage execute on the stage's dedicated VM. This allows the stage's steps to share information through the underlying filesystem. You can run CI steps directly on the VM or in a Docker container. When the stage is complete, the VM automatically shuts down.

Build credits​

All plans get 2000 free build credits each month. For more information about Harness Cloud build credit consumption, go to Subscriptions and licenses.

Requirements for connectors and secrets​

  • You must use the built-in Harness Secret Manager to store connector credentials and other secrets.
  • All connectors must connect through the Harness Platform, not a delegate.
  • AWS connectors can't use IRSA or AssumeRole.
  • GCP and Azure connectors can't use authentication that inherits credentials from the delegate.

Platforms and image specifications​

Harness Cloud offers Linux, macOS, and Windows platforms. To enable Windows and macOS for Harness Cloud, contact Harness Support.

Review the following image specifications for information about image components and preinstalled software.

In your pipelines, you can select specific versions of pre-installed tools, ensure that a step uses a specific version every time, or install additional tools and versions that aren't preinstalled on the Harness Cloud images. You can run these steps on the host machine or as separate Docker images.

Specify versions​

If a Harness Cloud image has multiple versions of a tool pre-installed, you can specify the version that you want to use in a step's Command. For example, with the Harness Cloud macOS build infrastructure, you could use the following command in a Run step to select an Xcode version:

sudo xcode-select -switch /Applications/Xcode_14.1.0.app
caution

Harness Cloud machine images can change. If your pipeline relies on a specific version of a software, tool, or environment, use the instructions in Lock versions or install additional tools to prevent your pipeline from failing when the image changes.

Lock versions or install additional tools​

If your build requires a specific version of a tool, or you need to use a version/tool that isn't pre-installed on the Harness Cloud image, you must:

  • Add a step to your pipeline to install the version/tool directly on the build machine
  • Add a step to your pipeline to run a Docker image that has the required version/tool.

There are a variety of steps you can use to do this, such as Run steps or Plugin steps.

Example: Use an Action step to setup Java​

In the following YAML example, an Action step runs the actions/setup-java GitHub Action to install a Java version, and then the Run step confirms the Java version.

            steps:
              - step:
                  identifier: install_java
                  name: intall java version 17
                  type: Action
                  spec:
                    uses: actions/setup-java@v3
                    with:
                      distribution: 'temurin'
                      java-version: '16'
              - step:
                  identifier: java_ver_check
                  name: java version check
                  type: Run
                  spec:
                    shell: Bash
                    command: |
                      JAVA_VER=$(java -version 2>&1 | head -1 | cut -d'"' -f2 | sed '/^1\./s///' | cut -d'.' -f1)
                      if [[ $JAVA_VER == 16 ]]; then
                        echo successfully installed $JAVA_VER
                      else
                        exit 1
                      fi
tip

You can also use the Bitrise step to run Bitrise Integrations in your CI pipelines.

Example: Use a Docker image​

The following YAML example demonstrates how a Run step can use a Docker image to leverage tools that are available on the image without having to install them on the build machine.

    - stage:
        name: Print welcome message
        identifier: welcome_message
        type: CI
        spec:
          cloneCodebase: true
          platform: ## Platform properties describe the target machine required by this stage.
            os: Linux
            arch: Amd64
          runtime:
            type: Cloud ## This build runs on Harness-provided infrastructure.
            spec: {}
          execution:
            steps:
              - step:
                  type: Run
                  name: Welcome
                  identifier: Welcome
                  spec:
                    connectorRef: my_docker_hub  ## Specify a Docker connector to pull an image from Docker.
                    image: alpine ## If no image is specified, the step runs on the host machine.
                    shell: Sh
                    command: Echo "Welcome to Harness CI"
info

Steps running in containers can't communicate with Background steps running on Harness Cloud build infrastructure because they don't have a common host.

Use Harness Cloud​

You can start using Harness Cloud in minutes.

  1. Go to the pipeline where you want to use Harness Cloud build infrastructure.
  2. Select the Build stage, and then select the Infrastructure tab.
  3. Select Harness Cloud and the desired Platform.
  4. Save and run your pipeline.
info

You can add steps to your pipeline to specify versions of tools, set up environments, or install additional tools. For image specifications and instructions on specifying versions, locking versions, and installing additional tools, go to the Platforms and image specifications section, above.

Harness Cloud machine images can change. If your pipeline relies on a specific version of a software, tool, or environment, use the instructions in Lock versions or install additional tools to prevent your pipeline from failing when the image changes.

Troubleshooting Harness Cloud build infrastructure​

Don't use tools that only run on a specific cloud environment (such as gsutil)​

With Harness Cloud build infrastructure, builds run on Ubuntu VMs that are hosted on variety of cloud providers. It is not possible to predict where the VM is running; therefore, avoid using tools (such as gsutil or gcloud) that require a specific cloud provider's environment.

Connector delegate error with Harness Cloud build infrastructure​

Connectors that you use with the Harness Cloud build infrastructure must connect through the Harness Platform. To change the connector's connectivity mode:

  1. Go to the Connectors page at the account, organization, or project scope. For example, to edit account-level connectors, go to Account Settings, select Account Resources, and then select Connectors.
  2. Select the connector that you want to edit.
  3. Select Edit Details.
  4. Select Continue until you reach Select Connectivity Mode.
  5. Select Change and select Connect through Harness Platform.
  6. Select Save and Continue and select Finish.

Can't use the built-in Harness Docker Connector with Harness Cloud build infrastructure​

Depending on when your account was created, the built-in Harness Docker Connector (account.harnessImage) might be configured to connect through a Harness Delegate instead of the Harness Platform. In this case, attempting to use this connector with Harness Cloud build infrastructure generates the following error:

While using hosted infrastructure, all connectors should be configured to go via the Harness platform instead of via the delegate. Please update the connectors: [harnessImage] to connect via the Harness platform instead. This can be done by editing the connector and updating the connectivity to go via the Harness platform.

To resolve this error, you can either modify the Harness Docker Connector or use another Docker connector that you have already configured to connect through the Harness Platform.

To change the connector's connectivity settings:

  1. Go to Account Settings and select Account Resources.
  2. Select Connectors and select the Harness Docker Connector (ID: harnessImage).
  3. Select Edit Details.
  4. Select Continue until you reach Select Connectivity Mode.
  5. Select Change and select Connect through Harness Platform.
  6. Select Save and Continue and select Finish.