Skip to main content
A pipeline chains together multiple tasks to create a workflow. This example shows a simple pipeline with dependent tasks.

​
Example

apiVersion: tekton.dev/v1
kind: Task
metadata:
  name: add-task
spec:
  params:
    - name: first
      description: the first operand
    - name: second
      description: the second operand
  results:
    - name: sum
      description: the sum of the first and second operand
  steps:
    - name: add
      image: mirror.gcr.io/alpine
      env:
        - name: OP1
          value: $(params.first)
        - name: OP2
          value: $(params.second)
      command: ["/bin/sh", "-c"]
      args:
        - echo -n $((${OP1}+${OP2})) | tee $(results.sum.path);
---
apiVersion: tekton.dev/v1
kind: Pipeline
metadata:
  name: sum-three-pipeline
spec:
  params:
    - name: first
      description: the first operand
    - name: second
      description: the second operand
    - name: third
      description: the third operand
  tasks:
    - name: first-add
      taskRef:
        name: add-task
      params:
        - name: first
          value: $(params.first)
        - name: second
          value: $(params.second)
    - name: second-add
      taskRef:
        name: add-task
      params:
        - name: first
          value: $(tasks.first-add.results.sum)
        - name: second
          value: $(params.third)
  results:
    - name: sum
      description: the sum of all three operands
      value: $(tasks.second-add.results.sum)
    - name: partial-sum
      description: the sum of first two operands
      value: $(tasks.first-add.results.sum)
    - name: all-sum
      description: the sum of everything
      value: $(tasks.second-add.results.sum)-$(tasks.first-add.results.sum)
---
apiVersion: tekton.dev/v1
kind: PipelineRun
metadata:
  name: sum-three-pipeline-run
spec:
  pipelineRef:
    name: sum-three-pipeline
  params:
    - name: first
      value: "2"
    - name: second
      value: "10"
    - name: third
      value: "10"

​
How It Works

1

First Task Executes

The first-add task runs first, adding the first two parameters (2 + 10 = 12) and emitting the result.
2

Second Task Uses First Task's Result

The second-add task automatically waits for first-add to complete because it references its result using $(tasks.first-add.results.sum). It then adds this result to the third parameter (12 + 10 = 22).
3

Pipeline Results are Computed

After all tasks complete, the pipeline computes its own results by referencing task results. These become available in the PipelineRun status.

​
Task Dependencies

Tekton automatically creates dependencies between tasks when:
  • A task references another task’s result: $(tasks.TASK_NAME.results.RESULT_NAME)
  • A task explicitly uses runAfter to specify ordering
In this example, second-add implicitly depends on first-add because it uses its result.

​
Expected Output

With the provided parameters (2, 10, 10):
  • first-add outputs: 12
  • second-add outputs: 22
Pipeline results: 
sum: 22
partial-sum: 12
all-sum: 22-12

​
Key Concepts

  • Pipeline: A collection of tasks that execute in a defined order
  • Task References: Use taskRef to reference an existing task by name
  • Implicit Dependencies: Tasks automatically wait for tasks whose results they reference
  • Pipeline Results: Pipelines can aggregate results from multiple tasks
  • Parameter Passing: Pipeline parameters can be passed to tasks, and task results can be passed to other tasks

​
Next Steps

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get started for freeTalk to us