Harness Cloud VM Images
Harness-hosted VM images are available for multiple operating systems and architectures, providing you with a clean, consistent environment for building, testing, and deploying your applications. Each job runs on a fresh virtual machine instance, ensuring isolation and preventing interference among builds.
For comprehensive details about what's included in each VM image, including installed software, tool versions, and system specifications, refer to this repository.
Available VM images
Harness provides VM images for multiple operating systems and architectures:
| Virtual machine image | Image label | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Linux ARM Ubuntu 22.04 | ubuntu-22.04 | Default Linux image for Linux ARM |
| Linux AMD Ubuntu 22.04 | ubuntu-22.04 | Default Linux image for Linux AMD |
| macOS 14 (Sonoma) | macos-14 | Latest macOS |
| Windows Server 2022 | windows-2022 | Latest Windows 2022 Server Image |
| Windows Server 2019 | windows-2019 | Latest Windows 2019 Server Image |
Using preinstalled software
Harness-hosted VM images include a comprehensive set of preinstalled software packages, development tools, and runtime environments. This eliminates the need to install common dependencies during your pipeline execution, significantly reducing build times.
You can customize the Harness Cloud build environment. 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 containers.
Pre-installed Software Version Management
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_15.1.0.app
Harness Cloud machine images can change. If your pipeline relies on a specific version of a software, tool, or environment, make sure you lock versions 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 (such as a Run step or Plugin step) to install the version/tool directly on the build machine or run a Docker image that has the required version/tool.
When installing additional tools, run apt-get update before installing new software that might not be in the packages list.
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
You can also use the Bitrise step to run Bitrise Workflow Steps 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"
Steps running in containers can't communicate with Background steps running on Harness Cloud build infrastructure because they don't have a common host.
Verifying software versions
To see the exact versions of preinstalled software on each image, check the detailed specifications in the Harness Cloud documentation. Each image type has its own README file with current software versions and installation details.
Alternatively, if you prefer verifying software versions within your pipeline, refer to the following sample:
pipeline:
name: Check Software Version Pipeline
identifier: check_software_version_pipeline
stages:
- stage:
name: Check Software Version
identifier: check_software_version
type: Custom
spec:
execution:
steps:
- step:
identifier: run_version_check_script
name: Check Software Versions
type: ShellScript
timeout: 10m
spec:
shell: Bash
source:
type: Inline
spec:
script: |-
echo "===== Software Version Check ====="
echo
# Node.js and NPM
echo "Node.js Version:"
node --version || echo "Node.js not installed"
echo
echo "NPM Version:"
npm --version || echo "NPM not installed"
echo
# Python
echo "Python Version:"
python --version || echo "Python not installed"
python3 --version || echo "Python3 not installed"
echo
# Java
echo "Java Version:"
java -version || echo "Java not installed"
echo
# Docker
echo "Docker Version:"
docker --version || echo "Docker not installed"
echo
# Git
echo "Git Version:"
git --version || echo "Git not installed"
echo
# Maven
echo "Maven Version:"
mvn --version || echo "Maven not installed"
echo
# Gradle
echo "Gradle Version:"
gradle --version || echo "Gradle not installed"
echo
# Go
echo "Go Version:"
go version || echo "Go not installed"
echo
# Ruby
echo "Ruby Version:"
ruby --version || echo "Ruby not installed"
echo
# Operating System
echo "Operating System:"
uname -a || echo "uname command not available"
cat /etc/os-release 2>/dev/null || echo "OS release info not available"
echo
echo "===== Version Check Complete ====="
rollbackSteps: []
description: This pipeline shows if specific tools are installed on the VM and their images (if available).
projectIdentifier: YOUR_PROJECT_IDENTIFIER
orgIdentifier: YOUR_ORG_IDENTIFIER
Installing additional software
While Harness VM images come with many tools preinstalled, you may need to install additional software specific to your project.
Using package managers
You can install additional packages using the system package manager during your pipeline:
steps:
- step:
type: Run
name: Install Dependencies
identifier: install_deps
spec:
command: |
# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y your-package-name
# CentOS/RHEL
sudo yum install -y your-package-name
# macOS
brew install your-package-name
Installing language-specific packages
Install packages using language-specific package managers:
steps:
- step:
type: Run
name: Install Language Packages
identifier: install_lang_packages
spec:
command: |
# Node.js packages
npm install -g your-package
# Python packages
pip3 install your-package
# Ruby gems
gem install your-gem
# Go modules
go install your-module
Performance considerations
Installing software during pipeline execution increases build time. Consider these approaches for better performance:
- Use preinstalled software when possible
- Cache dependencies between builds when available
- Consider creating custom Docker images for complex dependencies
- Use specific tool versions that are already preinstalled
Image Versioning and Best Practices
Understanding Image Tags
Harness VM images use a versioning system to help you balance between getting the latest updates and maintaining build stability:
latest- The most recent image with the newest tool versions and updateslatest-1- The previous stable image versionlatest-2- Two versions behind the current latest
Recommended Pipeline Strategy
To ensure stable production deployments while still benefiting from the latest updates, we recommend the following approach:
Use the latest image tag for development, feature branches, and testing pipelines. Use latest-1 for production pipelines to ensure stability.
To simplify the rollout and management of image tag updates across environments, define your image tag as a variable at the Account, Org, Project, or Pipeline level in Harness.
Migration Process
- Test with Latest: Run your development and testing pipelines using the
latestimage - Validate: Ensure all tests pass and deployments are healthy
- Update Production: Once validated, update your production pipelines from
latest-1tolatest - Monitor: Keep an eye on production builds after the update
The latest image may contain breaking changes or updated tool versions that could affect your build. Always test thoroughly before updating production pipelines.
Image Updates and Maintenance
Harness regularly updates VM images to include:
- Security patches and OS updates
- Latest versions of popular development tools
- Runtime updates (Node.js, Python, Java, etc.)
- New tools and utilities based on community feedback
Images are typically updated every two months, with critical security updates applied more frequently.
Support and Feedback
For questions, issues, or feature requests related to Harness VM images, contact Harness Support.