Deploy a Custom Transform
Overview
A Custom Transform in Condense is a fully code-based processing component that you build in the built-in IDE, version-control through Git, and deploy into a workspace pipeline. Unlike prebuilt transforms, custom transforms let you implement domain-specific logic, advanced event processing, and cross-event correlation in any programming language supported by the Condense IDE.
Once built and published, a custom transform appears alongside prebuilt transforms in the pipeline editor and is ready to deploy.
Custom transforms are created through Applications in Condense — the built-in development environment where you write, build, and publish your logic before it becomes deployable.
What You Can Do with a Custom Transform
Implement domain-specific rules, enrichment, or routing not covered by prebuilt options.
Write logic in any programming language supported in the Condense IDE.
Perform advanced processing, cross-event correlation, or domain-specific analytics.
Version-control all logic through Git, with immutable published versions.
Roll back to earlier versions at any time from the pipeline editor.
Custom Transform Lifecycle
Every custom transform follows this lifecycle:
Create → Develop → Build → Publish → Deploy → Update/Rollback → Delete
Step 1 - Create an Application
Who can create: Workspace Admins, Maintainers, Developers
Go to Applications in your workspace → click Create Application.
Version Control: Connect a Git provider (GitHub / GitLab / Bitbucket), then select your Repository and Branch.
Application Info: Fill in the following fields:
Application Name
Unique name within the workspace (3–63 characters, lowercase letters only)
Yes
Publish as a custom
Select Transform (not Input/Output Connector)
Yes
Version
Human-readable version label e.g. v1, v1.1.0
Yes
Expiry
Draft retention period — drafts are auto-cleaned after this
Yes
About
Optional description shown in details and summaries
No
Click Develop Application to open the IDE.
Step 2 - Develop in the IDE
Who can edit drafts: Admins, Maintainers, Developers
The IDE has the following structure:
File Explorer (left)
Navigate and manage your project files
Code Editor (center)
Write code with inline linting and error highlighting
ENVs panel (side)
Set runtime configuration — secrets are masked
Publish tester
Send a test message to a workspace topic
Subscribe tester
Fetch messages from a workspace topic to validate output
Build Application
Opens the image name and tag dialog
In the IDE, you can:
Navigate and edit code via File Explorer and Code Editor.
Configure ENVs (environment variables) for build/runtime.
Optionally enable Expose HTTP(s) Server or Expose TCP Server for local testing.
Validate topic flow with Publish and Subscribe testers.
Commit and push to the connected Git repository.
Best practice: Use Publish/Subscribe testers before building to catch schema or mapping issues early. {% endhint %}
Step 3 - Build the Application
Who can build: Admins, Maintainers, Developers
Click Build Application.
Enter the Docker Image Name (registry path, e.g.
registry/acme/my-transform) and Tag (e.g.v1.0.0).Click Start Build and monitor the Build Logs in real time.
If the build fails, review the error output, fix code/ENVs/Dockerfile, and rebuild.
Build tips:
Use a fully qualified image name for external registries.
Some registries enforce lowercase tags - prefer lowercase alphanumerics, dots, and dashes.
Pass secrets via ENVs; do not bake them into the image.
Step 4 - Publish the Application
Who can publish: Admins, Maintainers
Click Publish Application.
Confirm Publish as a custom: select Transform.
Confirm the Version and add optional release notes.
Click Publish.
Once published, the custom transform appears in the Transforms → Custom section of the pipeline editor and is ready to deploy.
Published versions are immutable. To change logic, you must edit the code, rebuild, and publish a new version.
Step 5 - Deploy to the Pipeline
Who can deploy: Workspace Admins, Maintainers
Go to the workspace pipeline editor.
Click Add Transform.
Select Custom category → choose your published application and version.
Configure ENVs and parameters.
Click Save and Deploy.
Step 6 - Update or Roll Back a Version
To update the logic of a deployed custom transform:
Go to Applications in the workspace.
Edit the application code in the IDE.
Rebuild and publish a new version.
In the pipeline editor, select the deployed transform block → click Edit → switch the Version to the new release.
To roll back, simply select an older published version from the Version dropdown - no rebuild is needed.
Roles and Permissions
Create application
Edit code / ENVs
Build application
Publish application
Deploy transform to pipeline
Edit deployed transform config
Delete transform / application
View transform list / config
Access transform logs
Monitoring and Audit
In the pipeline view, click on a deployed transform block to open its detail page. Here you can view:
Status (active, error)
Execution metrics (throughput, processing latency, error rate)
Resource utilization metrics
Version history for each transform
Activity logs for creation, modification, and deletion events
Runtime logs (stdout/stderr) via the Logger/observability stack
Best Practices
Keep each application focused on a single responsibility for simpler testing and review.
Use ENVs over hardcoding - configure ports, credentials, and endpoints via environment variables.
Map Git branches to deployment stages:
dev,staging,main.Align Version labels, image tags, and Git tags/commits for full traceability.
Always test using Publish/Subscribe testers before building.
Keep custom transform logic modular and version-controlled in Git.
Regularly review transform performance metrics to detect bottlenecks early.
Common Pitfalls
Published transform not visible in pipeline
Wrong publication type selected
Always confirm Transform (not Input/Output Connector) before publishing
Unreachable HTTP/TCP during testing
Server not exposed or wrong port binding
Enable the correct toggle and match the port ENV in code
"No messages yet" in Subscribe
Topic/partition/offset mismatch
Use First/Last/Size presets and verify topic and partition
Build failures due to missing dependencies
Dependencies not in project config
Add to dependency file (e.g. requirements.txt) and rebuild
Runtime errors after deleting an application
Active pipeline still references the application
Update or remove dependent pipeline deployments first
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