Harness 3.0 introduces a new YAML specification (v1) that achieves an 89% reduction in YAML boilerplate. The v1 format is compatible with GitHub Actions and Drone, making it familiar and easy to adopt.

ng-pipeline.yaml

# Harness NG (v0 YAML)
pipeline:
  name: Deploy
  identifier: deploy
  projectIdentifier: proj1
  orgIdentifier: default
  stages:
    - stage:
        name: Deploy to Dev
        identifier: deploy_dev
        type: Deployment
        spec:
          deploymentType: Kubernetes
          service:
            serviceRef: my_service
          environment:
            environmentRef: dev
            infrastructureDefinitions:
              - identifier: k8s_dev

v1-pipeline.yaml

# Harness 3.0 (v1 YAML)
pipeline:
  stages:
    - name: Deploy to Dev
      service: my_service
      environment:
        name: dev
        deploy-to: k8s_dev
      steps:
        - run: kubectl apply -f k8s/

Backward Compatibility: Existing NG pipelines continue to work without modification. Both v0 and v1 YAML are supported so teams can migrate at their own pace.

Templates

Templates in Harness 3.0 are fundamentally redesigned to be composable, stage-agnostic, and marketplace-ready.

Defined inputs and outputs: Every template declares typed inputs and outputs, making them self-documenting and composable.
Agnostic of stage types: Templates are not tied to any specific stage type, making them reusable across CI, CD, and custom workflows.
Container-based tasks: Templates wrap Harness container-based tasks that can be used as steps in any pipeline.
Anything can be a template: Services, environments, infrastructure definitions, steps, stages, and pipelines all support template creation.
Template Marketplace: Discover and share templates across your organization through a built-in marketplace.

Unified Stages & Steps

Harness 3.0 eliminates stage-type coupling and unifies all steps into a container-based execution model, simplifying the platform and improving extensibility.

All Steps Are Containers

Fetched at runtime, no pre-installation required.
No dependency on the delegate for tooling.
Run as Docker containers on a Kubernetes cluster or on a VM.

No More Stage Types

Product-specific objects (services, environments, deployment configs) are decoupled from stages.
Improved platform extensibility: add custom steps without modifying the core platform.
Fully customizable steps that can be shared across teams and organizations.

Delegate 2.0

The Harness Delegate has been completely rebuilt for speed, size, and simplicity. Delegate 2.0 removes tooling dependencies and supports local pipeline execution.

Improvements	Details
Faster Startup Time	Significantly reduced cold-start and registration time.
Local Pipeline Execution	Run and test pipelines locally before pushing to production.
VM & K8s Support	Self-hosted or Harness-hosted, on VMs or Kubernetes clusters.
Lightweight Size	Reduced CPU and memory footprint.
No Tooling Dependencies	No kubectl, helm, tanzu, or terraform binaries coupled with the runner.

AI-First UX

Harness 3.0 provides an AI-first, developer-first user experience. The entire platform has been redesigned to surface intelligent assistance at every step — from pipeline creation to debugging failed deployments.

▶Watch the Harness 3.0 Demo
See the new AI-first developer experience in action