Categories: RELEASE

Step Docker Image Release Strategy

Overview

Step provides official Docker images for Step components, enabling containerized deployments in Docker, Kubernetes, and other container orchestration platforms. These images are versioned to match the Step platform version they contain.

Image Repositories

Official Step Docker images are available from the Exense Docker registry at docker.exense.ch/step-enterprise.

These images include:

  • Step Controller: The main Step controller application
  • Step Agent: The Step agent for executing keywords

For agent runtime images, see Agent Runtime Docker Images which provide the execution environment for the Step Agents.

Image Tagging Strategy

Step Docker images follow these tagging conventions:

Version Tags

  • Specific versions with Java version: e.g., 3.29.0-java-21, 3.28.0-java-21

Tag Examples

# Specific version with Java 21 (recommended for production)
docker.exense.ch/step-enterprise/controller:3.29.0-java-21

Image Contents

Step Docker images include:

  • Pre-configured Step application
  • Java runtime: Currently using Java 21 as the standard runtime (selected based on Long-Term Support releases)
  • Default configuration files
  • Required dependencies and libraries

Usage in Kubernetes

When deploying Step on Kubernetes using the Helm Chart, Docker images are referenced in the values file:

controller:
  image:
    repository: docker.exense.ch/step-enterprise/controller
    tag: "3.29.0-java-21"

For detailed configuration options:

Custom Docker Images

You can create custom Docker images based on the official Step images to:

  • Add custom plugins
  • Include pre-configured settings
  • Add additional tools or dependencies

For agent images specifically, see:

Image Updates

Docker images are updated:

  • With each Step release: New images for new Step versions
  • Security patches: Occasional rebuilds for critical security updates
  • Base image updates: Periodic updates to underlying base images

For more details on the Step release schedule, see the Release Cycle page.

Kubernetes Deployment

For Kubernetes deployments, use the Step Helm Chart:

helm install step exense/step --version 1.3.0

Pulling Images

# Pull a specific version
docker pull docker.exense.ch/step-enterprise/controller:3.29.0-java-21

Image Registry Access

For private deployments or air-gapped environments:

Support

For questions or issues with Docker images:

See Also