Orbs FAQ
Cloud Server v3.x This document describes various questions and technical issues that you may find helpful when working with orbs.
Private orbs
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Question: Can orbs be made private?
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Answer: Private orbs are available on any of our current plans.
Difference between commands and jobs
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Question: What is the difference between commands and jobs?
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Answer: Both commands and jobs are elements that can be used within orbs. Commands contain one or many steps, which contain the logic of the orb. Commands generally execute some shell code (bash). Jobs are a definition of what steps/commands to run and the executor to run them in. Commands are invoked within jobs. Jobs are orchestrated using Workflows.
Using orbs on CircleCI server
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Question: Can orbs be used on a private installation of CircleCI server?
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Answer: Orbs can be used with installations of CircleCI server v3. For information on importing and using orbs for server, see the CircleCI Server v3.x Orbs guide.
Orbs are not available on installations of server v2.19.x, however, if you process your config prior to committing, orbs can be translated and used. Follow this guide on using git pre-commit hooks to use orbs on server.
Report an issue with an orb
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Question: How can I report a bug or issue with an orb?
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Answer: All orbs are open source projects. Issues, bug reports, or even pull requests can be made against the orb’s git repository. Orb authors may opt to include a link to the git repo on the Orb Registry.
If the git repo link is unavailable, contact support and we will attempt to contact the author. Alternatively, consider forking the orb and publishing your own version.
Using uncertified orbs
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Question: Why do I receive an error message when trying to use an uncertified orb?
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Answer: To enable usage of uncertified orbs, go to your organization’s settings page, and click the Security tab. Then, click yes to enable Allow Uncertified Orbs.
Note: Uncertified orbs are not tested or verified by CircleCI. Currently, only orbs created by CircleCI are considered certified. Any other orbs, including partner orbs, and not certified.
How to use the latest version of an orb
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Question: How do import an orb always at the latest version?
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Answer: Orbs utilize semantic versioning, meaning if you set the major version (example:
3), you will receive all minor and patch updates, where if you statically set the version (example:3.0.0), no updates will apply, this is the most deterministic and recommended method.
Note: NOT RECOMMENDED - It is possible to use @volatile to receive the last published version of an orb. This is not recommended as breaking changes are expected.
Build error when testing locally
- Question: Why do I get the following error when testing locally:
circleci build -c .circleci/jobs.yml --job test
Error:
You attempted to run a local build with version 2.1 of configuration.
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Answer: To resolve this error, run
circleci config processon your configuration and then save that configuration to disk. You then should runcircleci local executeagainst the processed configuration.
See also
- Refer to Orbs Concepts for high-level information about CircleCI orbs.
- Refer to Orb Publishing Process for information about orbs that you may use in your workflows and jobs.
- Refer to Orbs Reference for examples of reusable orbs, commands, parameters, and executors.
Help make this document better
This guide, as well as the rest of our docs, are open source and available on GitHub. We welcome your contributions.
- Suggest an edit to this page (please read the contributing guide first).
- To report a problem in the documentation, or to submit feedback and comments, please open an issue on GitHub.
- CircleCI is always seeking ways to improve your experience with our platform. If you would like to share feedback, please join our research community.
Need support?
Our support engineers are available to help with service issues, billing, or account related questions, and can help troubleshoot build configurations. Contact our support engineers by opening a ticket.
You can also visit our support site to find support articles, community forums, and training resources.
CircleCI Documentation by CircleCI is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
