Harness Cloud VM Images
Harness provides preconfigured virtual machine (VM) images to run your CI jobs in Harness Cloud. These images come with common build tools and dependencies preinstalled, so you can focus on building and testing your code without worrying about setup.
Every CI job runs on a fresh VM, ensuring clean, isolated builds.
To see what’s included in each image, visit the Harness Cloud VM image repository.
Cloud VM Images
Available VM Images Image Tags
Harness provides VM images for multiple operating systems and architectures:
| Virtual machine image | Image label | Notes | Rollout Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux AMD Ubuntu 22.04 | ubuntu-latest or ubuntu-22.04 | Default Linux image for Linux AMD | GA |
| Linux AMD Ubuntu 24.04 | ubuntu-24.04 | Default Linux image for Linux AMD | GA |
| Linux ARM Ubuntu 22.04 | ubuntu-latest or ubuntu-22.04 | Default Linux image for Linux ARM | GA |
| Linux ARM Ubuntu 24.04 | ubuntu-24.04 | Default Linux image for Linux ARM | GA |
| macOS 14 (Sonoma) | macos-latest or macos-14 | Latest macOS | GA |
| macOS 14 (Sonoma) with Xcode 16.3 | macos_sonoma_xcode_16.3 | macOS 14 (Sonoma) with Xcode 16.3 | GA |
| Windows Server 2022 | windows-latest or windows-2022 | Latest Windows 2022 Server Image | GA |
Currently, ubuntu-latest points to Ubuntu 22.04.
To switch latest to Ubuntu 24.04 ahead of the general rollout, contact Harness Support to enable the CI_ENABLE_HOSTED_BETA_IMAGES feature flag for your account.
Choosing an image version
Harness VM images use a versioning system to help you balance between getting the latest updates and maintaining build stability.
You can:
- Pin to a specific version — e.g.,
ubuntu-22.04, to ensure a consistent environment across builds. - Use the latest tag — e.g.,
ubuntu-latest, to automatically get the newest tool versions and updates.
To select an the image tag to use, simply provide it in the imageName property of the cloud infrastructure runtime section.
runtime:
type: Cloud
spec:
size: xxlarge
imageName: latest # specify image tag
Best Practice: Pin Image Versions in Production
Since using the latest tag may contain breaking changes or updated tool versions that could affect your build. Always test thoroughly before updating production pipelines.
To ensure stable production deployments while still benefiting from the latest updates, we recommend the following approach:
- Test in Dev: Use latest in non-prod pipelines and confirm everything works with the new image.
- Update Prod: Switch production pipelines to the new image, and pin image name to a specific version.
To simplify the rollout and management of image tag updates across environments, we recommend defining the image name as a variable at the Account, Org, Project, or Pipeline level in Harness. This will ensure you can pin your pipeline to a new version globally.
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.
Pre-installed Software Version Management
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.
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"
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
Support and Feedback
For questions, issues, or feature requests related to Harness VM images, contact Harness Support.