A task represents an action that runs in a pod, usually as part of a pipeline, such as testing, or building your application. A task defines a series of steps that run in order, as containers that belong to the task pod. In the preceding example, the test task runs the npm run install step first, then npm run lint, and finally npm run test.

The Task custom resource represents a task.

A step is a single operation that runs as part of a task, such as executing an npm command or any other script. Each step is associated with a container image, so that the action runs inside a specific container.

A pipeline is a workflow that consists of tasks. In the preceding example, the pipeline contains the test and build tasks. Pipelines dictate the dependencies between tasks, such as whether one task should run before another, or whether two tasks can run in parallel. Pipelines can define Tasks inline or can refer to other Task resources that already exist.

The Pipeline custom resource represents a pipeline.

A task run is a task in the execution stage. A task run represents a single execution of a task, and includes a reference to the corresponding task definition, as well as other inputs, such as parameter values or storage claims. When you run a task, OpenShift Pipelines creates the TaskRun custom resource, which represents a specific execution of a Task resource.

A pipeline run is a pipeline in the execution stage. A pipeline run represents a single execution of a pipeline, and includes a reference to the corresponding pipeline definition, as well as other inputs, such as parameter values or storage claims. When you run a pipeline, OpenShift Pipelines creates the PipelineRun custom resource, which represents a specific execution of a Pipeline resource.

Pipeline runs also create the necessary TaskRun resources to run the tasks that the pipeline contains.

The Pipeline and Task resources can declare parameters, such as an environment flag or a Git branch name. In pipelines and tasks, you can declare parameters by setting properties such as the name and type of the parameter.

In the PipelineRun and TaskRun resources, you can pass the values for the parameters that the pipeline or task requires or supports.

A workspace represents storage. Workspaces can be useful for sharing state between tasks, or as a way to mount or store inputs or outputs.

The Pipeline and Task resources can declare workspaces in specific directories inside the pod. At runtime, the PipelineRun and TaskRun resources define the particular storage requirements for a workspace, for example, by mapping a workspace to a persistent volume claim.

Triggers can run tasks and pipelines based on external events, such as a Git push action. You can define triggers by combining the Trigger, TriggerBinding, and TriggerTemplate custom resources. Alternatively, you can use the OpenShift web console to streamline the creation of these resources.

When a trigger starts a pipeline or a task, OpenShift Pipelines also creates the corresponding PipelineRun and TaskRun resources.