CI/CD Pipeline Integration
Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipelines frequently deploy new applications, services, and environments. Certificates must be provisioned, validated, and rotated automatically as part of these workflows. CERTInext enables seamless integration with CI/CD pipelines to automate certificate lifecycle operations during build, release, and deployment stages.
By integrating CERTInext APIs into CI/CD tools, organizations can embed certificate management directly into DevOps workflows without manual intervention.
Purpose
CI/CD integration allows organizations to:
Automatically request certificates during deployment
Submit CSRs programmatically
Retrieve issued certificates during pipeline execution
Trigger renewals as part of release workflows
Enforce product-level policies consistently
Maintain centralized lifecycle visibility
This ensures that certificate management becomes part of application delivery rather than a separate operational task.
Integration Methods
CERTInext supports CI/CD automation using:
REST APIs Used for ordering, renewing, revoking, and downloading certificates.
ACME Protocol Used for fully automated issuance and renewal of TLS certificates.
API credentials are created under: Integrations → APIs → + New API Credentials
Typical CI/CD Workflow
Pipeline initiates certificate request using REST or ACME.
CSR is generated within the pipeline or application environment.
CERTInext submits the request to the configured CA.
Domain Control Validation (if required) is completed.
Certificate is retrieved programmatically.
Pipeline deploys the certificate to target infrastructure.
Renewal workflows are automated prior to expiry.
All lifecycle events are logged within CERTInext.
Common Use Cases
Application Deployment Automation Automatically generate certificates during new environment provisioning.
Microservices & Containers Issue certificates dynamically when services scale or redeploy.
Infrastructure-as-Code Embed certificate automation into Terraform, ARM, or other infrastructure templates.
Blue-Green or Canary Releases Provision certificates aligned with staged deployments.
Supported CI/CD Platforms
CERTInext can integrate with:
Jenkins
GitLab CI
Azure DevOps
GitHub Actions
Bamboo
Custom automation scripts
Integration is protocol-based and not limited to specific tools.
Security Best Practices
Store API credentials in secure vaults (not in pipeline code)
Use least-privilege service accounts
Restrict credentials to specific Products
Rotate API credentials periodically
Monitor API usage through audit logs
Monitoring and Governance
Certificates issued via CI/CD:
Appear in centralized certificate inventory
Are monitored for expiry and policy compliance
Trigger alerts if renewal fails
Follow configured approval workflows (if enabled)
This ensures DevOps speed does not compromise governance.
Operational Notes
ACME is recommended for fully automated TLS workflows.
REST APIs provide broader lifecycle control.
Failed automation steps should be reviewed in audit logs.
Renewal windows should align with release schedules.
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