A first look at Tekton Pipelines

Kubernetes is evolving into a versatile cloud operating system capable of managing complex business processes through operators, enabling users to focus on higher-level concepts rather than basic building blocks like Pods and Services. This transformation is exemplified by Tekton Pipelines, which allow for the definition and execution of build tasks within a Kubernetes cluster, creating a headless CI/CD platform. Using MicroK8S, a lightweight Kubernetes distribution, developers can easily set up the necessary environment, including a Docker image registry and DNS support, to run Tekton Pipelines. Tekton facilitates the creation and management of build tasks and pipelines that can compile and push Docker images, using tools like Kaniko to build images within Kubernetes environments. While Tekton offers a powerful framework for CI/CD processes, it may be too low-level for most engineering teams without additional tools like Jenkins X and OpenShift Pipelines, which provide more user-friendly interfaces and functionalities built on top of Tekton. Despite its complexity, Tekton highlights Kubernetes' flexibility and potential to host comprehensive CI/CD solutions, although its direct use might be limited to teams with the necessary expertise.