Harness
What is Harness?
Harness is an AI-native software delivery platform for platform and DevOps teams that turns codebase context into deployable pipelines, testing, and operational guidance. It combines AI Across the SDLC, Continuous Delivery & GitOps, Continuous Integration, Internal Developer Portal, and AI Test Automation, and it's used by Citi, United Airlines, Ancestry, and VMware. Plans run Free, Essentials Plan custom, and Enterprise Plan custom.
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At a glance
- Harness is best for platform and DevOps teams who want AI-assisted software delivery across build, release, testing, and operations.
- Free Plan Free; Essentials Plan Custom; Enterprise Plan Custom
What does Harness do?
Harness runs an AI-native software delivery workflow that turns codebase context into deployable pipelines, testing, and operational guidance. Its Harness AI experience can generate a CI pipeline from a codebase, surface security scans like SCA and SAST, and help teams orchestrate delivery across Continuous Delivery & GitOps, Continuous Integration, and AI Test Automation. The platform also ties in Internal Developer Portal, Infrastructure as Code Management, and Artifact Registry capabilities so delivery work stays connected instead of scattered across tools. At scale, Harness says it serves 1,000+ customers, supports 20,000 engineers with reduced toil, and has helped teams reach 7-minute deployments, 75% faster deployment time, and 100+ deployments each month. The company launched in 2017 in San Francisco and reports 1,200+ employees and $570M funding. Customers cited on the site include Citi, United, Sensormatic, and Morningstar, and the support model includes follow-the-sun coverage with 24x7x365 support available on premier plans.
Why use Harness?
- Harness combines delivery, testing, security, and cost workflows in one platform, reducing the handoffs that slow software teams down.
- Its AI-generated pipeline and workflow guidance can turn codebase context into usable delivery automation instead of starting from scratch.
- The platform is built for large-scale operations, with customer stories showing 36,000 to 50 pipeline consolidation and 100+ deployments each month.
- Support and service options scale with the buyer, including follow-the-sun coverage and 24x7x365 support on premier plans.
- The modular packaging lets teams start small and add modules as needs expand, rather than committing to a single fixed bundle.
Who is Harness for?
- Platform engineering teams who want to standardize delivery workflows across many applications.
- DevOps leaders who need faster deployments with less manual coordination.
- QA and test automation teams who want AI-assisted testing and resilience checks.
- Security and compliance teams who need scanning and governance embedded in delivery.
- FinOps and SRE teams who want delivery, reliability, and cost signals in one platform.
What are Harness's key features?
AI Across the SDLC
Applies AI across planning, build, test, release, and operations using agentic flows and a software delivery knowledge graph to reduce manual handoffs.
Continuous Delivery & GitOps
Orchestrates deployments through intelligent workflow automation, with customers reporting 7 minutes to run deployments and 75% faster deployment time.
Continuous Integration
Consolidates CI pipelines and build steps, helping teams cut build failures by 67% and improve build times by 1.5×.
Internal Developer Portal
Gives teams a central portal for software delivery knowledge and workflows, helping reduce onboarding effort by 78% and keep delivery standards consistent.
Infrastructure as Code Management
Manages infrastructure changes alongside delivery workflows, supporting Kubernetes-based operations and reducing toil across cloud environments.
Feature Management & Experimentation
Controls feature releases and experiments from one platform, so teams can ship changes faster while coordinating rollout decisions with delivery workflows.
AI Test Automation
Uses AI test automation to speed validation work, with reported 30% reduction in testing time and fewer repetitive checks before release.
AI SRE
Supports operations teams with AI SRE workflows for incident response and troubleshooting, improving troubleshooting efficiency by 85%.
What does Harness integrate with?
- Kubernetes
- Zoom
- Microsoft Teams
- Slack
What are Harness's use cases?
Platform delivery standardization
Platform engineering teams use Harness to standardize delivery across many applications, using Continuous Delivery & GitOps to keep release workflows consistent and repeatable. They pair it with the Internal Developer Portal so developers can self-serve approved paths instead of opening tickets for every deployment.
Faster releases for DevOps
DevOps leaders use Harness to cut manual coordination out of release day, using Continuous Integration and Release Agent to move code from build to deploy with fewer handoffs. The result is faster deployments and less time spent chasing approvals or pipeline issues.
AI-assisted testing for QA
QA and test automation teams use Harness to validate changes before release, relying on AI Test Automation and Test Intelligence to focus testing on the riskiest areas. They can shorten test cycles while catching regressions earlier, which helps protect release quality.
Governed delivery for security
Security and compliance teams use Harness to embed checks into the delivery process, combining Application Security Testing and AI Security to surface issues before software ships. That gives them a clearer path to enforce governance without slowing every release to a crawl.
How does Harness work?
- Start with Agentic Flows to connect your first delivery workflow and define the actions you want Harness to automate across build, test, and release stages.
- Map your software delivery process into the Software Delivery Knowledge Graph so Harness can understand services, dependencies, and ownership before orchestration begins.
- Configure Intelligent Workflow Orchestration to route approvals, trigger Continuous Delivery & GitOps, and coordinate the right steps for each application.
- Add AI Test Automation, Application Security Testing, or Cloud Cost Management modules as needed, then use the Internal Developer Portal to give teams a single place to work.
- Monitor outcomes in Software Engineering Insights and Dashboard Intelligence, then refine workflows with DevOps Agent, SRE Agent, or FinOps Agent for ongoing improvement.
How much does Harness cost?
Free Plan
Free- For individual developers and small teams
- Open Source
- Starter platform to manage software delivery lifecycle
Essentials Plan
Custom- For growing organizations with small to mid-size teams
- Packaged modules
- Drive innovation and simplify operations with continuous software delivery
- Standard support
Enterprise Plan
Custom- For large-scale organizations with complex needs
- Pick any module(s) based on your needs
- Features
- Unleash the power of Harness Platform
- Support and dedicated account manager
Frequently asked questions
What is Harness?
Harness is an AI-native software delivery platform for platform and DevOps teams that turns codebase context into deployable pipelines, testing, and operational guidance. It combines AI Across the SDLC, Continuous Delivery & GitOps, Continuous Integration, Internal Developer Portal, and AI Test Automation, and it's used by Citi, United Airlines, Ancestry, and VMware. Plans run Free, Essentials Plan custom, and Enterprise Plan custom.
How much does Harness cost? Is it free?
Harness has a free plan, with paid tiers including Essentials Plan at Custom, Enterprise Plan at Custom.
What is Harness used for? Who is it for?
Harness is used for AI Across the SDLC, Continuous Delivery & GitOps, and Continuous Integration. It's built for Platform engineering teams, DevOps leaders, and QA and test automation teams.
Does Harness have an API and what does it integrate with?
Harness doesn't publish a public API. It integrates with Kubernetes, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Slack.
Editor's read
Check whether the modules you need are included in the plan you're considering, since Essentials and Enterprise are packaged differently and Enterprise is the tier that adds premium support and a dedicated account manager. If follow-the-sun coverage or 24x7x365 support matters, verify the support level before committing.
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