Pipelines Step Reference

Pipeline Steps Reference

A pipeline automates work across Cycle by running an ordered sequence of steps. Each step performs one concrete action, like importing an image, reimaging a container, deploying a stack build, or moving a deployment tag. Steps are grouped into stages, run in order, and triggered by a trigger key, directly in the UI, or via the API. Pipelines are the backbone of GitOps on Cycle: a git push or CI job fires the key, and the pipeline does the rest.

This page is the complete catalog of step types. There are 30, grouped by the resource they act on: images, containers, environments, deployments, stacks, webhooks, and one control step (sleep). Use it to look up exactly which fields a step accepts and which are required.

Using this Guide

This guide, like the portal itself, is an extension of the pipelines schemas found in the public API. For each step, the step name as provided in the portal and the API spec name are side by side. There are also some custom types shown within the Type column. These can be referenced and found in the spec as well if unclear.

To look deeper at the implementation, check out the full API spec here.

How every step is shaped

Each step shares the same outer envelope, then carries a step-specific details payload. The envelope is identical everywhere, so the per-step tables below document only the details object — the part that changes.

Field	Type	Required	Description
`action`	string (enum)	✓	The step type — the discriminator that selects everything else. The exact value is shown in each step heading (e.g. `container.reimage`).
`identifier`	string	—	A name for this step, so later steps (or webhooks) can reference its output via `from:<stage/step>`.
`options.skip`	boolean	—	When `true`, the step is skipped at run time.
`details`	object	✓	The step-specific payload documented in each table below.

Reading the tables

A few conventions recur throughout, so they're defined once here rather than repeated in every row:

FluidIdentifier — how steps point at a resource. It takes three forms: id:<id> (a raw resource ID), resource:<identifier> (a compound selector, e.g. resource:cluster:dev,env:demo,container:api), or from:<stage/step> (the output of an earlier step). Reach for from: to chain steps — for example, create an image in one step, then reference it with from: in the import step that follows.
VariableString — a string that may contain {{variable}} placeholders, resolved at run time from the pipeline's variables.
Duration — a time string such as 30s or 5m.
The Required column reflects the spec: ✓ means the field is required whenever its parent object is present. Where a parent object is optional but has its own required children, that's called out in a footnote under the table.

Image steps

Create Image — `image.create`

`details` field	Type	Required	Description
`source`	`FluidIdentifier`	✓	The image source to create the image from.
`name`	string \| null	—	Optional name for the created image.
`build.args`	map<string,string> \| null	—	Build args passed into the image build process at run time.
`override.target`	string \| null	—	For `docker-hub` / `docker-registry` origins: override the default target (`image:tag`).
`override.targz_url`	string \| null	—	For `docker-file` origins: a URL to a `.tar.gz` of a repo containing a Dockerfile, used instead of linking a repository.

Import Image — `image.import`

`details` field	Type	Required	Description
`Image Target`	`FluidIdentifier`	✓	The image to import (fetch/build into a usable, immutable image).

Create & Import Image — `image.create-import`

`details` field	Type	Required	Description
`source`	`FluidIdentifier`	✓	The image source to create from, then import in one step.
`name`	string \| null	—	Optional name for the created image.
`build.args`	map<string,string> \| null	—	Build args passed into the build process at run time.
`override.target`	string \| null	—	For `docker-hub` / `docker-registry` origins: override target (`image:tag`).
`override.targz_url`	string \| null	—	For `docker-file` origins: URL to a `.tar.gz` repo with a Dockerfile.

Prune Images — `images.prune`

`details` field	Type	Required	Description
`source_ids`	array<ID>	✓	The image source IDs whose eligible images should be pruned.

Container steps

Create Container — `container.create`

`details` field	Type	Required	Description
`container name`	string	✓	The container's name.
`container identifier`	string	—	An identifier for the container, derived from the name if not provided.
`environment`	`FluidIdentifier`	✓	The environment to deploy into.
`image`	`FluidIdentifier`	✓	The image to build the container from.
`stateful`	boolean	✓	Whether the container is stateful (`true`) or stateless (`false`). The checkbox being unchecked is stateless.
`config`	`Config` object	✓	Full configuration only supported in API(network, runtime, resources, deploy, scale, integrations). Partial list reference same as container create wizard.
`volumes`	array<`ContainerVolume`>	✓	Must select image target before this field is visible in portal. Volume configuration for the container.
`deployment`	`Deployment` \| null	—	Optional deployment (version) to assign the container to.

Start Container — `container.start`

`details` field	Type	Required	Description
`container`	`FluidIdentifier`	✓	The container to start.

Stop Container — `container.stop`

`details` field	Type	Required	Description
`container`	`FluidIdentifier`	✓	The container to stop.

Restart Container — `container.restart`

`details` field	Type	Required	Description
`container`	`FluidIdentifier`	✓	The container to restart.

Reimage Container — `container.reimage`

`details` field	Type	Required	Description
`container`	`FluidIdentifier`	✓	The container to reimage.
`image`	`FluidIdentifier`	✓	The new image to apply.
`options.allow_incompatible`	boolean	✓	When `true`, the new image need not be compatible with the one it replaces.
`options.overwrite_runtime_config`	boolean	✓	When `true`, overwrite the container's current runtime configuration during reimage.

Delete Container — `container.delete`

`details` field	Type	Required	Description
`container`	`FluidIdentifier`	✓	The container to delete.

Deprecate Container — `container.deprecate`

`details` field	Type	Required	Description
`container`	`FluidIdentifier`	✓	The container to deprecate.
`unset`	boolean	—	When `true`, removes the deprecated marker instead of setting it.

Trigger Function — `container.function.trigger`

`details` field	Type	Required	Description
`container`	`FluidIdentifier`	✓	The function container to trigger.
`runtime_variables`	`FunctionRuntimeVariables`	—	Runtime variables passed to the triggered function instance.
`token`	`VariableString` \| null	—	A custom token used to identify and manage the claim.

Environment steps

Create Environment — `environment.create`

`details` field	Type	Required	Description
`environment name`	string	✓	The environment's name.
`cluster`	string	✓	The cluster the environment runs on.
`features`	`EnvironmentFeatures`	✓	Environment feature configuration (e.g. legacy networking).

Start Environment — `environment.start`

`details` field	Type	Required	Description
`environment`	`FluidIdentifier`	✓	The environment to start.

Stop Environment — `environment.stop`

`details` field	Type	Required	Description
`environment`	`FluidIdentifier`	✓	The environment to stop.

Delete Environment — `environment.delete`

`details` field	Type	Required	Description
`environment`	`FluidIdentifier`	✓	The environment to delete.

Deployment steps

Start Environment Deployment — `environment.deployment.start`

`details` field	Type	Required	Description
`environment`	`FluidIdentifier`	✓	The environment containing the deployment.
`tag`	string \| null	—	Target the deployment with this tag.
`version`	string \| null	—	Target the deployment with this exact version.

Stop Environment Deployment — `environment.deployment.stop`

`details` field	Type	Required	Description
`environment`	`FluidIdentifier`	✓	The environment containing the deployment.
`tag`	string \| null	—	Target the deployment with this tag.
`version`	string \| null	—	Target the deployment with this exact version.

Update Environment Tag Version — `environment.deployments.tag`

`details` field	Type	Required	Description
`environment`	`FluidIdentifier`	✓	The environment containing the deployments.
`tag`	`Identifier`	✓	The tag to apply (e.g. `prod`).
`deployment.version`	`Version`	✓*	Selector — target the deployment with this exact version.
`deployment.tag`	string	✓*	Selector — target the deployment that currently has this tag.

*deployment is required; provide either version or tag as the selector.

Prune Deployments — `environment.deployments.prune`

`details` field	Type	Required	Description
`environment`	`FluidIdentifier`	✓	Removes any containers in a deployment that has no tag associated with it.

Deprecate Environment Deployment — `environment.deployment.deprecate`

`details` field	Type	Required	Description
`environment`	`FluidIdentifier`	✓	The environment containing the deployment. Deprecated deployments stop receiving new traffic; existing instances keep running until stopped.
`tag`	string \| null	—	Target the deployment with this tag.
`version`	string \| null	—	Target the deployment with this exact version.

Reinstate Environment Deployment — `environment.deployment.reinstate`

`details` field	Type	Required	Description
`environment`	`FluidIdentifier`	✓	The environment containing the deployment. Restores a previously deprecated deployment to active status.
`tag`	string \| null	—	Target the deployment with this tag.
`version`	string \| null	—	Target the deployment with this exact version.

Wait for Environment Deployment Healthcheck — `environment.deployment.healthy.watch`

`details` field	Type	Required	Description
`environment`	`FluidIdentifier`	✓	The environment to watch. Waits until all health-checked instances that changed state in the last 15 minutes become healthy before continuing.
`tag`	string \| null	—	Target the deployment with this tag.
`version`	string \| null	—	Target the deployment with this exact version.
`max_wait`	`Duration` \| null	—	Maximum time to wait for health before failing the step.

Stack steps

Create Stack Build — `stack.build.create`

`details` field	Type	Required	Description
`stack`	`FluidIdentifier`	✓	The stack to build.
`use latest commit`	boolean	—	When checked the stack is built from the latest commit, circumventing the need to define git instructions.
`instructions.git.type`	enum: `branch` \| `hash` \| `tag`	—*	The kind of git reference supplied.
`instructions.git.value`	string	—*	The git reference value (branch name, commit hash, or tag).
`instructions.variables`	map<string,string>	—	Variables substituted into `{{variable}}` placeholders in the stack at build time.

*type and value are both required if the git object is provided. †version and description are both required if the about object is provided.

Generate Stack Build — `stack.build.generate`

`details` field	Type	Required	Description
`build`	`FluidIdentifier`	✓	The stack build to generate (resolve into a deployable artifact).

Deploy Stack Build — `stack.build.deploy`

`details` field	Type	Required	Description
`stack build location`	`FluidIdentifier`	✓	The stack build to deploy.
`environment`	`FluidIdentifier`	✓	The environment to deploy into.
`container options`	`StackBuildDeploymentUpdates` \| null	—	Per-container update behavior (reimage / reconfigure handling).
`scoped variable options`		—	Options for controlling how scoped variables defined in the stack are deployed
`variables`	map<string,string> \| null	—	Variables substituted into `{{variable}}` placeholders at deploy time.
`deployment`	`Deployment` \| null	—	Optional deployment (version) to assign the deployed containers to.

Prune Stack — `stack.prune`

`details` field	Type	Required	Description
`stack`	`FluidIdentifier`	✓	The stack whose old builds should be pruned.

Webhook steps

Webhook POST — `webhook.post`

`details` field	Type	Required	Description
`url`	string	✓	The endpoint to POST to.
`headers`	map<string,string> \| null	—	Optional headers to send with the request.
`body`	string \| null	—	Custom POST body. Mutually exclusive with `from`.
`from`	string \| null	—	Use a previous step's output as the body, format `<stageIdentifier/stepIdentifier>` (e.g. `init/image-create`). Mutually exclusive with `body`.
`options`	`WebhookStepOptions` \| null	—	Retry/failure behavior (see below).

If neither body nor from is set, the webhook posts the full body of the resource referenced by the step.

Webhook GET — `webhook.get`

`details` field	Type	Required	Description
`url`	string	✓	The endpoint to GET.
`headers`	map<string,string> \| null	—	Optional headers to send with the request.
`options`	`WebhookStepOptions` \| null	—	Retry/failure behavior (see below).

WebhookStepOptions (shared by both webhook steps):

Field	Type	Required	Description
`max_attempts`	integer \| null	—	Maximum number of attempts before giving up.
`interval`	`Duration` \| null	—	Wait time between retries.
`fail_on.not`	boolean	✓ (if `fail_on` set)	If `true`, fail on any code not in `http_codes`.
`fail_on.http_codes`	array<integer> \| null	—	HTTP response codes that trigger a failure.
`retry_on.not`	boolean	✓ (if `retry_on` set)	If `true`, retry on any code not in `http_codes`.
`retry_on.http_codes`	array<integer> \| null	—	HTTP response codes that trigger a retry.

Control steps

Sleep — `sleep`

`details` field	Type	Required	Description
`duration`	`Duration`	—	How long to pause before moving to the next step.

EU Control Plane Goes Live

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Challenge the Status Quo

Pipelines Step Reference.

Pipeline Steps Reference

Using this Guide

How every step is shaped

Reading the tables

Image steps

Create Image — image.create

Import Image — image.import

Create & Import Image — image.create-import

Prune Images — images.prune

Container steps

Create Container — container.create

Start Container — container.start

Stop Container — container.stop

Restart Container — container.restart

Reimage Container — container.reimage

Delete Container — container.delete

Deprecate Container — container.deprecate

Trigger Function — container.function.trigger

Environment steps

Create Environment — environment.create

Start Environment — environment.start

Stop Environment — environment.stop

Delete Environment — environment.delete