Tekton (CI/CD)
By the Tekton project (CDF)
Tekton is an open-source, Kubernetes-native framework for building CI/CD pipelines, defining builds, tests, and deployments as declarative Kubernetes custom resources rather than as configuration tied to a specific CI server.
Definition
Tekton is an open-source, Kubernetes-native framework for building CI/CD pipelines, defining builds, tests, and deployments as declarative Kubernetes custom resources rather than as configuration tied to a specific CI server.
Overview
Tekton reframes continuous integration and delivery as a set of Kubernetes-native building blocks: a `Task` defines a sequence of containerized steps, a `Pipeline` chains multiple tasks together with dependencies, and a `PipelineRun` or `TaskRun` triggers an actual execution — each of these is a Kubernetes custom resource, so pipelines are created, scaled, and scheduled using the same Kubernetes API and RBAC model as any other workload. Because Tekton has no built-in server or UI of its own beyond its resource definitions, it is designed to be the execution engine underneath other tools rather than a complete CI/CD product. Jenkins X builds on Tekton for its pipeline execution, and Tekton also powers pipeline features in OpenShift and other Kubernetes platforms; a companion project, Tekton Triggers, listens for webhook events to automatically start pipeline runs, and Tekton Dashboard provides an optional web UI. This composable, Kubernetes-native design is Tekton's key differentiator from more traditional CI/CD tools like Buildkite or Jenkins, which run pipelines on their own agents outside Kubernetes' native scheduling. Tekton pipelines run as ordinary pods, scale using the cluster's existing autoscaling, and can be reused across multiple CI/CD front-ends, which appeals to platform teams that want to build an internal developer platform on a consistent, portable execution layer rather than being locked into one vendor's pipeline syntax.
Key Features
- Pipelines and tasks defined as declarative Kubernetes custom resources
- Executes entirely as native Kubernetes pods, using existing cluster scheduling
- Composable Task and Pipeline building blocks reusable across projects
- Tekton Triggers for starting pipeline runs from webhook events
- No proprietary server required; portable across any Kubernetes cluster
- Optional Tekton Dashboard for visualizing pipeline runs
- Strong ecosystem integration, powering Jenkins X and OpenShift Pipelines
- Fine-grained RBAC using standard Kubernetes access controls