This article provides answers to frequently asked questions related to Pega Infinity Deployment Modernization.
The Pega Docs site contains:
- the description of support for the VM-based deployments: Virtual Machine deployments of Pega Platform.
- instructions on deploying Pega in Docker containers in Kubernetes environments: Containerized deployments in Kubernetes environments
- the definition of "deprecated" in the article Install and update Pega Platform
Answers to frequently asked questions
Clients building their own Docker container
Application Servers (Clients building their own Docker containers)
Operating Systems (Clients building their own Docker containers)
General Deployment
Can clients use a separate server to run their database, without having the database in a container?
Yes - as long as the database is supported by Pega, and is connected properly to the Pega software deployed in Kubernetes, it does not have to be in a container.
Docker images provided by Pega are Daily Build, but is there any concept of "stable"?
(Is it recommended to use the latest Build?)
The daily Docker images provided by Pega are built from the latest stable images of its components. Pega recommends using the latest images.
Will Pega provide any deployment pipeline scripts to manage the overall Pega infrastructure?
(Will our Deployment Manager ever extend out to include managing the overall infrastructure (tear up/down of Kubernetes and containers)? Will this always be the client's responsibility to build the deployment pipelines?)
This is not currently on the Pega roadmap but we are always interested in looking for ways to make Pega easier to operate.
If an emergency patch is released for vendor software after containerization, will the image be redistributed for each Pega version in use?
(To put it another way, the client does not want to change the version of Pega Platform just to apply the emergency patch for Tomcat.)
Pega recognizes that an emergency patch may be required for the vendor software included in the Pega Docker Image (the Linux version, Tomcat, or Java). Therefore, Pega provides two separate Docker images:
- The full Pega image, including all the vendor software and Pega Platform (https://hub.docker.com/r/pegasystems/pega )
- A “Pega Ready” Docker image which contains just the vendor software (https://hub.docker.com/r/pegasystems/pega-ready)
The "Pega ready" Docker images, with the latest Tomcat and other patches, are released on a regular basis – not just for emergencies – to take advantage of all the latest vendor changes. Clients may apply these without having to update their Pega Platform images, and should do this on a regular basis also (not wait for emergencies), so they have access to the latest vendor functionality.
Will prpcUtils be supported after containerization?
Yes, prpcUtils is still supported. However, the Helm charts provide new ways to run installs and upgrades. See https://github.com/pegasystems/pega-helm-charts/tree/master/charts/pega#actions.
How do you implement RobotManager, etc. after containerization?
There are no additional deployment steps for Robotics on a containerized system.
How can clients pull Pega Docker images from Amazon Elastic Container Registry (ECR) or other 3rd party registries?
Pega does not push Docker images to AWS ECR, but a client can pull them from our repo and push them into their own private ECR instance. Most clients take this standard recommended approach (though sometimes with a different registry not running on AWS). See details on how to manage your Pega Docker images.
Does Pega support Amazon Elastic Container Service (ECS)?
No, ECS is not Kubernetes-based. Pega is compatible with Amazon EKS.
Kubernetes
Can clients deploy Pega by individual Kubernetes resources such as Secrets, ConfiguMap, Routes, etc., instead of Helm?
(Is Helm/yaml the only choice that clients have to deploy?)
Helm is the best practice but not required.
Where is the runbook for OSS Kubernetes other than MiniKube?
Because Open-source Kubernetes depends on your specific configuration, Pega does not provide a single Open-source Kubernetes runbook. Use the Pega helm charts documentation to configure your deployment, with Preparing your local Linux system, Preparing your local Windows 10 system, and Getting started as your starting points.
Can clients use OpenShift instead of Kubernetes?
Openshift is 100% compatible with Kubernetes. Pega is investing in Kubernetes and will provide the material for this standard on the market. Clients may choose to use Openshift, and can develop their own Control Plane to take advantage of Openshift's features. See Supported Kubernetes Environments.
Can clients deploy Pega software in Kubernetes on Microsoft Azure with private connectivity?
This document describes how the Kubernetes environment should connect to public network: https://github.com/pegasystems/pega-helm-charts/blob/master/docs/Deploying-Pega-on-AKS.md
However, if the client wants to keep the environment in the network closed, it is possible to use the Helm installation in a local network without accessing https://pegasystems.github.io/pega-helm-charts directly. The client would need to cache the chart locally as well as mirror the required Docker images in a client managed container registry.
Is it possible to use Rancher as Kubernetes and rke2 as Kubernetes engine?
(https://www.rancher.com/, https://docs.rke2.io/, If Pega's support for "Open-source kubernetes" is limited to a specific distribution, please let me know what it is.)
Rancher and rke2 are not on the list of Pega's supported Kubernetes standards. You can find the full list of supported environments in the Platform Support Guide or the Supported Kubernetes Environments.
If a client is used to running in Windows environments, can they run their Kubernetes cluster in Windows?
(Are there strategies for moving to the new architecture? How would clients manage a docker-based environment on a Windows Infrastructure? Does Pega provide help in running Kubernetes on Windows?)
Our pods run only with the Linux OS internally for all Kubernetes deployment environments, which can be hosted within the supported Microsoft AKS platform. We offer only a Linux-based Docker image. If the customer is currently running their own client-managed cloud on Windows, and is deploying the standard Pega Docker container in a Kubernetes cluster, the Windows operating system of the nodes should not affect Pega's applications running within our Pod configuration with Linux as the container Operating System.
See our documentation on setting up a Windows system for Pega use with Kubernetes and Helm.
Clients building their own Docker container
What flexibility do clients have when building their own Docker image?
Clients can create a customized Docker container and change the Operating System (OS) and the JVM to one that is supported by Pega in the Pega Platform Support Guide. See Build a custom Pega installer image.
The Tomcat web server configuration should not be changed. It has been optimized for the Pega Platform to be secure and performant.
Can clients add their own functionality (probes, log management pods, etc.) to the Pega Helm Charts?
It’s absolutely fine to add to and customize your Helm charts. Additionally, the Pega Helm Charts are an open source project and contributions are welcome.
If a client has suggestions on how to enhance Pega's Helm Charts or the Docker Image, how do they provide feedback?
If you have feedback on the Pega Helm chart or Pega Docker image, please enter an Issue on the respective GitHub page. For example, Pega Helm charts are at https://github.com/pegasystems/pega-helm-charts. People can go to the "Issues" tab to see if their feedback is already present or to create a new issue. As an open source project, you can also contribute to the project.
Will Pega support Podman in place of Docker?
Podman is not currently planned for validation but we will consider it for the roadmap.
Can clients add additional agents or tools into the Docker image they build? (Dynatrace, security, etc.)
As long as the image uses the Pega supported technologies and tools, other additions are fine.
Appservers (Clients building their own Docker container)
Can I use some other application server than Tomcat?
Also includes:
[Client has IBM Cloud Paks available in internal OpenShift - Is IBM Cloud Paks using Liberty Docker image a supported deployment model for Pega? (https://www.ibm.com/cloud-paks) ]
No. Kubernetes deployments of Pega Platform require the use of the Tomcat application server, which extends a customized Tomcat base image. This application server is referenced in the Pega Platform application Docker image and is started automatically when you launch your deployment. For details about the Pega-provided Tomcat version, see the Pega Platform Support Guide.
Why did we choose Tomcat for operating Pega applications?
Tomcat is a tried and true industry standard and excellently suited for containerized systems. Tomcat is a great fit for Pega and is our choice for our own systems and fleet. Pega has no dependency or need for J2EE constructs from other application servers.
If there are security issues with Tomcat or things inside the container we provide, are we then releasing a new container?
If there is a vulnerability in Tomcat, or other issue inside the container we provide, Pega is going to provide a new container to fix this vulnerability. Pega is going to support the standard containers we provide. Pega will not support the platform running on containers that are not built using Pega recommended standards and best practices.
Are we changing what application server clients would be allowed to run in the container?
This information is in the Pega Platform Support Guide.
If the client runs Pega Infinity in a container, they must use only Tomcat delivered within the Pega Infinity Docker image. Pega will support the Tomcat that we ship as part of our Docker image.
If the client has Pega Infinity deployed on virtual machines, the previously-supported application servers are supported, but they were deprecated in Pega 8.8 and will no longer be supported as of Pega Infinity '25. See the Platform Support Guide for details.
Operating Systems (Clients building their own Docker container)
In the future, is Pega planning to narrow their support of the various OS's listed in the Platform Support Guide?
No. Linux-based OS's are generally compatible and loosely coupled with Pega. We have no plans to restrict this list.
Does Pega officially support Red Hat Universal Base Image (UBI)?
Pega supports Red Hat Enterprise Linux. Pega's engineers believe that Red Hat UBI is totally compatible with Pega; however, full certification testing has not yet been done. We will consider it for the roadmap.