Key Concepts
Deployment Record
A deployment record is the unit of information stored by Chainloop each time you register an artifact as running in an environment. Each record is uniquely identified by combining:
The record also captures the artifact reference (e.g., a container image digest), the timestamp, and the current status. Deployment records are immutable — when a new version replaces an existing one, the previous record is kept and marked as
superseded, giving you a complete audit trail of what ran where and when.
Deployment Status
Each deployment record has one of three statuses:Automatic Superseding
When you record a new deployment that matches an existing active record (same environment, logical environment, deployment name, and kind), Chainloop automatically marks the previous record assuperseded. This means you always have a clear picture of what’s currently running without manual cleanup.
Idempotent Recording
Recording the same artifact to the same deployment record multiple times is safe and idempotent. The deployment timestamp is updated but no duplicate records are created. This makes it safe to call from CI/CD pipelines on every run, effectively acting as a heartbeat for the deployment.Recording a Deployment
Usechainloop deployment record to register that an artifact is running in an environment. You can reference the artifact by OCI image or by digest:
The artifact must already exist in the Chainloop evidence store (i.e., it must have been previously attested). If the OCI image is hosted in a private registry, you can provide credentials explicitly via
--registry-server, --registry-username, and --registry-password flags, or the CLI will use your system’s configured credentials.Decommissioning
To mark an artifact as no longer running, usechainloop deployment record with --status decommissioned:
Listing Deployments
By default,chainloop deployment list shows only currently active deployments. Use --history to include superseded and decommissioned records. You can filter by --env or --logical-env.
See the CLI Reference for the full list of flags and options.
Typical Workflow
Here’s an end-to-end example of how deployment tracking fits into a delivery pipeline: 1. Set up environments (one-time)Next Steps
- Environments and Logical Environments — Set up your infrastructure targets and lifecycle stages
- Attestations — Learn how evidence is collected and signed
- Projects and Versions — Organize your software components
