Runners are nothing but Traceable CLI installed on your server as a service. They form the execution backbone of application security testing by enabling scans to run within your infrastructure and communicate results back to the Traceable platform.
Traceable CLI vs Runner
The following table compares Traceable CLI and runner on various parameters, along with their use case and recommendations:
Parameters | Traceable CLI | Traceable Runner |
|---|---|---|
Integration | It is designed to integrate with CI systems, allowing jobs to be triggered and run on a CI runner. It is a quick way to run scans from local or remote hosts. | It is designed to integrate with job schedulers and CI/CD systems, allowing the CI pipeline to trigger the scan and delegate the actual running to the Traceable runner. |
Execution | It executes synchronously, running tests immediately as they are invoked. | It executes asynchronously, consuming the job queue. |
Configuration | It is usually a part of the script setup. | It requires a runner pool, which is typically set up using Helm charts or similar deployment tools. |
Use Case | It is ideal for pre-commit hooks, pre-deploy checks, and other stages in the development pipeline where immediate feedback is required. | It is ideal for scheduling regular security scans, batch jobs, or handling multiple requests asynchronously. |
Recommendation | It is recommended for use in small to medium-sized projects that require immediate results on simple security tests. | It is recommended for use in either of the following scenarios:
|
Runner installation methods
You can download and install a runner using either of the following methods:
Through the Traceable platform
As a service using the
install.shscriptUsing Helm chart
On AWS ECS using CloudFormation or Terraform
However, before installing a runner, you must ensure that you have the necessary software and hardware requirements. For more information, see Software and Hardware Requirements. Once you have the necessary requirements, you can install the runner. For the steps to do this, see Installing a Runner.
Traceable also allows you to set up custom certificates for runners according to your requirements. For more information, see Set up custom certificates for runners.