Skip to main content

​
Overview

A Custom Transform in Condense is a fully code-based processing component that you build in the built-in IDE, version-control through Git, and deploy into a workspace pipeline. Unlike prebuilt transforms, custom transforms let you implement domain-specific logic, advanced event processing, and cross-event correlation in any programming language supported by the Condense IDE. Once built and published, a custom transform appears alongside prebuilt transforms in the pipeline editor and is ready to deploy.
Custom transforms are created through Applications in Condense — the built-in development environment where you write, build, and publish your logic before it becomes deployable.

​
What You Can Do with a Custom Transform

  • Implement domain-specific rules, enrichment, or routing not covered by prebuilt options.
  • Write logic in any programming language supported in the Condense IDE.
  • Perform advanced processing, cross-event correlation, or domain-specific analytics.
  • Version-control all logic through Git, with immutable published versions.
  • Roll back to earlier versions at any time from the pipeline editor.

​
Custom Transform Lifecycle

Every custom transform follows this lifecycle: Create → Develop → Build → Publish → Deploy → Update/Rollback → Delete

​
Step 1 - Create an Application

Who can create: Workspace Admins, Maintainers, Developers
  1. Go to Applications in your workspace → click Create Application.
Deployacustom1

Create Application screen

  1. Version Control: Connect a Git provider (GitHub / GitLab / Bitbucket), then select your Repository and Branch.
  2. Application Info: Fill in the following fields:

Application Info Fields

  1. Click Develop Application to open the IDE.

​
Step 2 - Develop in the IDE

Who can edit drafts: Admins, Maintainers, Developers
The IDE has the following structure: In the IDE, you can:
  • Navigate and edit code via File Explorer and Code Editor.
  • Configure ENVs (environment variables) for build/runtime.
  • Optionally enable Expose HTTP(s) Server or Expose TCP Server for local testing.
  • Validate topic flow with Publish and Subscribe testers.
  • Commit and push to the connected Git repository.

IDE screen

Best practice: Use Publish/Subscribe testers before building to catch schema or mapping issues early.

​
Step 3 - Build the Application

Who can build: Admins, Maintainers, Developers
  1. Click Build Application.
  2. Enter the Docker Image Name (registry path, e.g. registry/acme/my-transform) and Tag (e.g. v1.0.0).
  3. Click Start Build and monitor the Build Logs in real time.
  4. If the build fails, review the error output, fix code/ENVs/Dockerfile, and rebuild.

Build Application Dialog Box

Build Logs Screen

Build tips:
  • Use a fully qualified image name for external registries.
  • Some registries enforce lowercase tags - prefer lowercase alphanumerics, dots, and dashes.
  • Pass secrets via ENVs; do not bake them into the image.

​
Step 4 - Publish the Application

Who can publish: Admins, Maintainers
  1. Click Publish Application.
  2. Confirm Publish as a custom: select Transform.
  3. Confirm the Version and add optional release notes.
  4. Click Publish.

Publish Application Screen

Once published, the custom transform appears in the Transforms → Custom section of the pipeline editor and is ready to deploy.
Published versions are immutable. To change logic, you must edit the code, rebuild, and publish a new version.

​
Step 5 - Deploy to the Pipeline

Who can deploy: Workspace Admins, Maintainers
  1. Go to the workspace pipeline editor.

Pipeline Editor

  1. Click Add Transform.
  2. Select Custom category → choose your published application and version.
  3. Configure ENVs and parameters.

Configure Transform

  1. Click Save and Deploy.

Deployed Transform

​
Step 6 - Update or Roll Back a Version

To update the logic of a deployed custom transform:
  1. Go to Applications in the workspace.
  2. Edit the application code in the IDE.
  3. Rebuild and publish a new version.
  4. In the pipeline editor, select the deployed transform block → click Edit → switch the Version to the new release.

Edit Deployed Transform

To roll back, simply select an older published version from the Version dropdown - no rebuild is needed.

Adding a New Version

​
Roles and Permissions

​
Monitoring and Audit

In the pipeline view, click on a deployed transform block to open its detail page. Here you can view:
  • Status (active, error)
  • Execution metrics (throughput, processing latency, error rate)
  • Resource utilization metrics
  • Version history for each transform
  • Activity logs for creation, modification, and deletion events
  • Runtime logs (stdout/stderr) via the Logger/observability stack
Deployacustom12

​
Best Practices

  • Keep each application focused on a single responsibility for simpler testing and review.
  • Use ENVs over hardcoding - configure ports, credentials, and endpoints via environment variables.
  • Map Git branches to deployment stages: dev, staging, main.
  • Align Version labels, image tags, and Git tags/commits for full traceability.
  • Always test using Publish/Subscribe testers before building.
  • Keep custom transform logic modular and version-controlled in Git.
  • Regularly review transform performance metrics to detect bottlenecks early.

​
Common Pitfalls