Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
We use cookies to improve your browsing experience on our website, to show you personalised content and to analize our website traffic. By browsing our website, you consent to our use of cookies. Read privacy policy.
Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) pipelines are essential components of modern software development, especially in the world of Kubernetes and containerized applications. To facilitate these pipelines, many organizations use Prow, a CI/CD system built specifically for Kubernetes. While Prow offers a rich set of features out of the box, you may need to develop your own plugins to tailor the system to your organization’s requirements. In this guide, we’ll explore the world of Prow plugin development and show you how to get started.
Prerequisites
Before diving into Prow plugin development, ensure you have the following prerequisites:
Basic Knowledge of Kubernetes and CI/CD Concepts: Familiarity with Kubernetes concepts such as Pods, Deployments, and Services, as well as understanding CI/CD principles, will be beneficial for understanding Prow plugin development.
Access to a Kubernetes Cluster: You'll need access to a Kubernetes cluster for testing your plugins. If you don't have one already, you can set up a local cluster using tools like Minikube or use a cloud provider's managed Kubernetes service.
Development Environment Setup: Ensure you have Git, Go, and Docker installed on your local machine for developing and testing Prow plugins. You'll also need to configure your environment to interact with your organization's Prow setup.
The Need for Custom Prow Plugins
While Prow provides a wide range of built-in plugins, your organization’s Kubernetes workflow may have specific requirements that aren’t covered by these defaults. This is where developing custom Prow plugins comes into play. Custom plugins allow you to extend Prow’s functionality to cater to your needs. Whether automating workflows, integrating with other tools, or enforcing custom policies, developing your own Prow plugins gives you the power to tailor your CI/CD pipeline precisely.
Getting Started with Prow Plugin Development
Developing a custom Prow plugin may seem daunting, but with the right approach and tools, it can be a rewarding experience. Here’s a step-by-step guide to get you started:
1. Set Up Your Development Environment
Before diving into plugin development, you need to set up your development environment. You will need Git, Go, and access to a Kubernetes cluster for testing your plugins. Ensure you have the necessary permissions to make changes to your organization’s Prow setup.
2. Choose a Plugin Type
Prow supports various plugin types, including postsubmits, presubmits, triggers, and utilities. Choose the type that best fits your use case.
Postsubmits: These plugins are executed after the code is merged and are often used for tasks like publishing artifacts or creating release notes.
Presubmits: Presubmit plugins run before code is merged, typically used for running tests and ensuring code quality.
Triggers: Trigger plugins allow you to trigger custom jobs based on specific events or criteria.
Utilities: Utility plugins offer reusable functions and utilities for other plugins.
3. Create Your Plugin
Once you’ve chosen a plugin type, it’s time to create it. Below is an example of a simple Prow plugin written in Go, named comment-plugin.go. It will create a comment on a pull request each time an event is received.
This code sets up a basic HTTP server that listens for GitHub events and handles them by creating a comment using the GitHub API. Customize this code to fit your specific use case.
This file contains bidirectional Unicode text that may be interpreted or compiled differently than what appears below. To review, open the file in an editor that reveals hidden Unicode characters.
Learn more about bidirectional Unicode characters
To deploy your custom Prow plugin, you will need to create a Docker image and deploy it into your Prow cluster.
This file contains bidirectional Unicode text that may be interpreted or compiled differently than what appears below. To review, open the file in an editor that reveals hidden Unicode characters.
Learn more about bidirectional Unicode characters
Deploy the Docker image using Kubernetes deployment:
This file contains bidirectional Unicode text that may be interpreted or compiled differently than what appears below. To review, open the file in an editor that reveals hidden Unicode characters.
Learn more about bidirectional Unicode characters
This file contains bidirectional Unicode text that may be interpreted or compiled differently than what appears below. To review, open the file in an editor that reveals hidden Unicode characters.
Learn more about bidirectional Unicode characters
After creating the deployment and service, integrate it into your organization’s Prow configuration. This involves updating your Prow plugin.yaml files to include your plugin and specify when it should run.
This file contains bidirectional Unicode text that may be interpreted or compiled differently than what appears below. To review, open the file in an editor that reveals hidden Unicode characters.
Learn more about bidirectional Unicode characters
Mastering Prow plugin development opens up a world of possibilities for tailoring your Kubernetes CI/CD workflow to meet your organization’s needs. While the initial learning curve may be steep, the benefits of custom plugins in terms of automation, efficiency, and control are well worth the effort.
Remember that the key to successful Prow plugin development lies in clear documentation, thorough testing, and collaboration with your team to ensure that your custom plugins enhance your CI/CD pipeline’s functionality and reliability. As Kubernetes and containerized applications continue to evolve, Prow will remain a valuable tool for managing your CI/CD processes, and your custom plugins will be the secret sauce that sets your workflow apart from the rest.
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Mastering Prow: A Guide to Developing Your Own Plugin for Kubernetes CI/CD Workflow
Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) pipelines are essential components of modern software development, especially in the world of Kubernetes and containerized applications. To facilitate these pipelines, many organizations use Prow, a CI/CD system built specifically for Kubernetes. While Prow offers a rich set of features out of the box, you may need to develop your own plugins to tailor the system to your organization’s requirements. In this guide, we’ll explore the world of Prow plugin development and show you how to get started.
Prerequisites
Before diving into Prow plugin development, ensure you have the following prerequisites:
Basic Knowledge of Kubernetes and CI/CD Concepts: Familiarity with Kubernetes concepts such as Pods, Deployments, and Services, as well as understanding CI/CD principles, will be beneficial for understanding Prow plugin development.
Access to a Kubernetes Cluster: You'll need access to a Kubernetes cluster for testing your plugins. If you don't have one already, you can set up a local cluster using tools like Minikube or use a cloud provider's managed Kubernetes service.
Development Environment Setup: Ensure you have Git, Go, and Docker installed on your local machine for developing and testing Prow plugins. You'll also need to configure your environment to interact with your organization's Prow setup.
The Need for Custom Prow Plugins
While Prow provides a wide range of built-in plugins, your organization’s Kubernetes workflow may have specific requirements that aren’t covered by these defaults. This is where developing custom Prow plugins comes into play. Custom plugins allow you to extend Prow’s functionality to cater to your needs. Whether automating workflows, integrating with other tools, or enforcing custom policies, developing your own Prow plugins gives you the power to tailor your CI/CD pipeline precisely.
Getting Started with Prow Plugin Development
Developing a custom Prow plugin may seem daunting, but with the right approach and tools, it can be a rewarding experience. Here’s a step-by-step guide to get you started:
1. Set Up Your Development Environment
Before diving into plugin development, you need to set up your development environment. You will need Git, Go, and access to a Kubernetes cluster for testing your plugins. Ensure you have the necessary permissions to make changes to your organization’s Prow setup.
2. Choose a Plugin Type
Prow supports various plugin types, including postsubmits, presubmits, triggers, and utilities. Choose the type that best fits your use case.
Postsubmits: These plugins are executed after the code is merged and are often used for tasks like publishing artifacts or creating release notes.
Presubmits: Presubmit plugins run before code is merged, typically used for running tests and ensuring code quality.
Triggers: Trigger plugins allow you to trigger custom jobs based on specific events or criteria.
Utilities: Utility plugins offer reusable functions and utilities for other plugins.
3. Create Your Plugin
Once you’ve chosen a plugin type, it’s time to create it. Below is an example of a simple Prow plugin written in Go, named comment-plugin.go. It will create a comment on a pull request each time an event is received.
This code sets up a basic HTTP server that listens for GitHub events and handles them by creating a comment using the GitHub API. Customize this code to fit your specific use case.
This file contains bidirectional Unicode text that may be interpreted or compiled differently than what appears below. To review, open the file in an editor that reveals hidden Unicode characters.
Learn more about bidirectional Unicode characters
To deploy your custom Prow plugin, you will need to create a Docker image and deploy it into your Prow cluster.
This file contains bidirectional Unicode text that may be interpreted or compiled differently than what appears below. To review, open the file in an editor that reveals hidden Unicode characters.
Learn more about bidirectional Unicode characters
Deploy the Docker image using Kubernetes deployment:
This file contains bidirectional Unicode text that may be interpreted or compiled differently than what appears below. To review, open the file in an editor that reveals hidden Unicode characters.
Learn more about bidirectional Unicode characters
This file contains bidirectional Unicode text that may be interpreted or compiled differently than what appears below. To review, open the file in an editor that reveals hidden Unicode characters.
Learn more about bidirectional Unicode characters
After creating the deployment and service, integrate it into your organization’s Prow configuration. This involves updating your Prow plugin.yaml files to include your plugin and specify when it should run.
This file contains bidirectional Unicode text that may be interpreted or compiled differently than what appears below. To review, open the file in an editor that reveals hidden Unicode characters.
Learn more about bidirectional Unicode characters
Mastering Prow plugin development opens up a world of possibilities for tailoring your Kubernetes CI/CD workflow to meet your organization’s needs. While the initial learning curve may be steep, the benefits of custom plugins in terms of automation, efficiency, and control are well worth the effort.
Remember that the key to successful Prow plugin development lies in clear documentation, thorough testing, and collaboration with your team to ensure that your custom plugins enhance your CI/CD pipeline’s functionality and reliability. As Kubernetes and containerized applications continue to evolve, Prow will remain a valuable tool for managing your CI/CD processes, and your custom plugins will be the secret sauce that sets your workflow apart from the rest.
Velotio Technologies is an outsourced software product development partner for top technology startups and enterprises. We partner with companies to design, develop, and scale their products. Our work has been featured on TechCrunch, Product Hunt and more.
We have partnered with our customers to built 90+ transformational products in areas of edge computing, customer data platforms, exascale storage, cloud-native platforms, chatbots, clinical trials, healthcare and investment banking.
Since our founding in 2016, our team has completed more than 90 projects with 220+ employees across the following areas:
Building web/mobile applications
Architecting Cloud infrastructure and Data analytics platforms