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Parameters allow you to pass values into Tasks and Pipelines at runtime.

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ParamSpec

Defines a parameter declaration in a Task or Pipeline.
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name
string
required
Name by which the parameter is referenced.Must be a valid identifier (alphanumeric with hyphens and underscores).
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type
ParamType
default:"string"
Type of the parameter.Values:
  • string - Single string value
  • array - Array of strings
  • object - Key-value pairs
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description
string
Human-readable description of the parameter.
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default
ParamValue
Default value if not supplied at runtime.If default is set, the parameter becomes optional.
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properties
map[string]PropertySpec
For object-type parameters, defines the structure of allowed keys.
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enum
[]string
List of allowed values for string parameters.Requires the enable-param-enum feature flag.
params:
  - name: environment
    type: string
    enum: ["dev", "staging", "prod"]

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Param

Provides a value for a parameter.
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name
string
required
Name of the parameter being set.
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value
ParamValue
required
The value to pass to the parameter.

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ParamValue

A ParamValue can hold different types of values:

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String Value

params:
  - name: message
    value: "Hello World"

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Array Value

params:
  - name: flags
    value:
      - "--verbose"
      - "--debug"

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Object Value

params:
  - name: config
    value:
      host: "example.com"
      port: "8080"
      protocol: "https"

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Variable Substitution

Parameters can be referenced using variable substitution syntax:

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String Parameters

steps:
  - name: echo
    image: ubuntu
    script: |
      echo "$(params.message)"

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Array Parameters

Reference the entire array: 
args: ["$(params.flags[*])"]
Reference individual elements: 
args: ["$(params.flags[0])", "$(params.flags[1])"]

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Object Parameters

Access individual keys: 
script: |
  curl $(params.config.protocol)://$(params.config.host):$(params.config.port)

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Parameter Propagation

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Pipeline to Task

Pass Pipeline parameters to Tasks: 
apiVersion: tekton.dev/v1
kind: Pipeline
spec:
  params:
    - name: repo-url
      type: string
  tasks:
    - name: clone
      taskRef:
        name: git-clone
      params:
        - name: url
          value: $(params.repo-url)

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Using Task Results as Parameters

Pass task results to subsequent tasks: 
tasks:
  - name: get-version
    taskRef:
      name: read-version
  - name: build
    taskRef:
      name: build-image
    params:
      - name: version
        value: $(tasks.get-version.results.version)
    runAfter:
      - get-version

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Object Parameter Example

apiVersion: tekton.dev/v1
kind: Task
metadata:
  name: use-object-param
spec:
  params:
    - name: database
      type: object
      properties:
        host:
          type: string
        port:
          type: string
        name:
          type: string
      default:
        host: "localhost"
        port: "5432"
        name: "mydb"
  steps:
    - name: connect
      image: postgres
      script: |
        psql -h $(params.database.host) \
             -p $(params.database.port) \
             -d $(params.database.name)

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Array Parameter Example

apiVersion: tekton.dev/v1
kind: Task
metadata:
  name: use-array-param
spec:
  params:
    - name: build-args
      type: array
      description: Build arguments for docker build
      default:
        - "--no-cache"
  steps:
    - name: build
      image: docker
      args:
        - "build"
        - "$(params.build-args[*])"
        - "."

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Default Values

Parameters with defaults are optional: 
params:
  - name: revision
    type: string
    description: Git revision to checkout
    default: "main"
  - name: verbose
    type: string
    default: "false"

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Best Practices

  1. Always provide descriptions - Help users understand parameter purpose
  2. Use meaningful names - Choose clear, descriptive parameter names
  3. Set sensible defaults - Make parameters optional when reasonable
  4. Use object params for related values - Group related configuration
  5. Validate in scripts - Add validation logic for parameter values
  6. Document expected formats - Specify format in description (e.g., URLs, versions)

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