Pipelines builds on Tulip’s deployment and change management capabilities to provide visibility and control over the release process for your security applications. It helps you track where configuration changes are, simplifies promotions and back-promotions, and gives your team a streamlined, unified interface for managing releases across your security app connections.
Key Features
Visualization of the Release Flow
Feature Overview Across the Release Flow
Streamlined Promotions and Back-Promotions
Easy Navigation to Deployments
Getting Started
Create Your Pipeline: Define your release flow by adding application connections in the desired order. Each application connection represents a specific connection to a security application (e.g., Okta Production, Microsoft Entra ID Staging).
Navigate and Start Working: Access your pipeline to begin managing deployments and tracking configuration changes. The pipeline is structured around nodes, which represent application connections. Each application connection contains a list of deployments that have been deployed to it. Between and into application connections, you will find a Drafts node. Drafts are not real application connections but represent deployments pending deployment into the target application connection.
Drafts Between Application Connections: When promoting changes from one application connection to another, the Drafts node will appear on the edge between the source and target application connections.
Drafts from Outside: If the source of the deployment is external or not tied to a specific application connection, the Drafts node will appear as originating from “outside” the pipeline.
Using Pipelines
1. Visualization of the Release Flow
Tip: Uncheck the “Show Drafts” filter (top-right) to reduce noise and focus on finalized work.
What It Does: Provides a visual representation of your current release flow, including application connections and their sequence.
How to Use: Navigate to the Pipelines view to see all application connections and their relationships. Click on an application connection to view detailed information about its connection to version control (Git), including the state of required approvals and automations for deployments to it. These settings can be modified in the application connection's settings area.
2. Feature Overview Across the Release Flow
Tracking Features: Use the filtering bar to search for deployments by ticket number or feature name. View which application connections a feature has reached and whether it followed the expected order.
Streamlined View: Uncheck “Show Promoted” to see deployments in their highest reached application connections only. Hover over deployments to see their journey through the pipeline, including out-of-order deployments.
Example of out of order deploy from SIT directly to Production
3. Streamlined Promotions and Back-Promotions
Tip: Keep "Show Promoted" unchecked to focus on deployments pending promotions.
Promotions Made Simple: Open the pipeline, select the current application connection, find relevant deployments, and click “Promote”.
Accumulating Promotions in Drafts: If you already have a promotion between two application connections you can add more deployments to it by selecting them and clicking "Add to existing".
Back-Promotions: Hover over deployments in forks to identify items that need back-promotion.
4. Navigation to Deployments
Find What You Need: Use pipeline filters (name, deployer, type, status) to locate specific deployments quickly. Avoid searching by application connection; the pipeline view simplifies navigation.
Collaborative Tracking: Easily locate and review deployments needing attention from your team.
Best Practices
Adopt a Naming Convention: Include ticket numbers or feature identifiers in deployment names for easy filtering. Use Git commit message patterns if applicable.
Use the Promotion Feature as Much as Possible: It will enable ideal visibility on features progress and the best collaboration tools (ie. conflicts).
Use the “Show Promoted” Filter Wisely: Uncheck it to focus on actionable items.
Maintain Clean Drafts: Avoid leaving deployments in draft states for extended periods unless planned for future deployment.
FAQ
What happens if a deployment or promotion fails?
Use the “Show Failed” filter to locate failed deployments. Hover over a failed deployment to see if a fix attempt exists. To retry, open the deployment, click “View Deployment,” and then “Deploy Remaining Changes.”
Can we edit the pipeline after setup?
Yes. Org admins can modify pipelines by clicking the “Edit” button to adjust application connections or their order.
Can promotions and back-promotions be automated?
Absolutely. Use the Tulip CLI to automate these processes. Set up triggers and ensure a consistent naming convention for deployments.
I want approval as part of my process for production. Can I set it up from the Pipeline?
You absolutely can set that up, from the application connection's Version Control settings. It is accessible in the Pipeline by clicking the Settings button of the application connection.
I can’t find a deployment in the pipeline. Where is it?
Check for active filters and clear them. Ensure the “Show Promoted,” “Show Drafts,” and “Show Failed” filters are appropriately toggled. Adjust the Date Range filter if searching for older deployments.
For further questions, more detailed guidance, or support, explore Tulip's resources or reach out to our support team. Your feedback is invaluable as we continue to enhance Pipelines and meet your evolving needs.