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Versioning in Blueprints

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Proper versioning of blueprints and templates is essential for systematically rolling out improvements across your development lifecycle. Version control enables you to track changes resulting from organisational policy updates, migrations, or patch fixes. Harness IDP Environment Management provides comprehensive versioning capabilities, allowing you to introduce new blueprint versions, deprecate outdated ones, and empower developers to select from active versions when creating environments.

Understanding blueprint versioning​

Blueprint versioning provides a structured approach to managing infrastructure templates over time. Each version represents a specific configuration state, enabling teams to:

  • Track and document changes systematically
  • Roll out improvements incrementally
  • Maintain backwards compatibility for existing environments
  • Provide developers with stable, tested configurations

Creating a new blueprint version​

When you create a new blueprint version, environments running on older versions receive notifications about the availability of updates, prompting teams to consider upgrading.

To create a new version:

  1. Navigate to Environments > Environment Blueprints

  2. Select the existing blueprint you wish to version

  3. Choose the version you want to modify and make the necessary changes to the blueprint YAML

  4. Select Save as new version to preserve the changes as a distinct version

  5. Provide the new version number, along with an optional description.

  6. Mark the version as stable if you wish to recommend it for new environment creation

Editing an existing blueprint version​

You can modify any existing blueprint version by following the steps above (1-3) and selecting Save to update the version in place. This approach is useful for correcting minor issues without creating a new version number.

Viewing all blueprint versions​

All versions of a blueprint are accessible through the Versions tab within each blueprint view. This centralised location provides an overview of the version history, including version numbers, descriptions, stability status, and creation dates.

Deprecating or deleting blueprint versions​

Version lifecycle management allows you to control which versions remain available for new environment creation:

  • Deprecation removes a version from the list of options available when creating new environments, whilst maintaining a copy for reference. Deprecated versions are hidden from the blueprint selection interface but remain in the system.
  • Deletion permanently removes a version from the system. This action is irreversible and should be used with caution.

To deprecate or delete a version:

  1. Navigate to the blueprint and select the Versions tab
  2. Locate the version you wish to manage
  3. Open the Actions menu and choose either Deprecate or Delete

Comparing blueprint versions​

Compare Versions

Version comparison helps you understand the differences between blueprint iterations, making it easier to assess the impact of changes before upgrading environments.

To compare versions:

  1. Navigate to the blueprint you wish to examine
  2. Select the Versions tab
  3. Click Compare Versions and choose the two versions you want to compare

The comparison view highlights differences in the YAML configuration, helping you make informed decisions about version adoption.

Creating environments with specific blueprint versions​

When creating a new environment, you can select any active (non-deprecated) version of a blueprint, providing flexibility to use either the latest stable version or a specific earlier version that meets your requirements.

To create an environment with a specific blueprint version:

  1. Navigate to the Environments section and select Create > Environment

  2. Browse the available blueprints

    Environment from Blueprints

  3. On the blueprint card, open the dropdown menu next to Use this blueprint and select your desired version

  4. You can also modify the version selection on the subsequent page whilst defining environment details

  5. Complete the remaining steps to finalise environment creation

This version selection capability ensures that teams can adopt new blueprint versions at their own pace, balancing innovation with stability requirements.