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Overview

Private actions allow your Datadog workflows and apps to interact with services hosted on your private network without exposing your services to the public internet. To use private actions, you must use Docker to install a private action runner on a host in your network, then pair the runner with a Datadog Connection.

For more information about how private actions work, see the full overview page.

Supported private actions

The following integrations support private actions:

Prerequisites

The private action runner requires a Linux host that is able to reach any internal services you want to call from an action or app.

To use App Builder with private actions, you must be able to point a hostname to the private action runner’s container. This hostname must be resolvable by your App users. App Builder calls the hostname using HTTPS, so you must bring your own SSL termination.

In addition, the host must have the following:

  • 2GB of RAM
  • Docker (with Docker Compose if that is your preference)

Set up a private action runner

From the Private Action Runner page in Workflow Automation or App Builder, click New Private Action Runner. The installation steps differ depending on whether you want to install the runner for App Builder, Workflow Automation, or both App Builder and Workflow Automation.

  1. Enter a name for your runner.
  2. Click Both.
  3. Enter a runner hostname. App Builder calls your runner using this hostname over HTTPS. You must bring your own SSL termination and forward to port 9016 in the container.
  4. Create a directory on your host where the runner can store its configuration, such as ./config. You can also use this directory to store any credentials required by the runner’s connection.
  5. Deploy your runner with Docker or Docker Compose:
  1. Click Docker.

  2. Run the provided docker run command on your host, replacing ./config with the path to the directory you created for the runner configuration.

    You can safely ignore the error DATADOG TRACER DIAGNOSTIC - Agent Error: connect ECONNREFUSED.

  1. Click Docker Compose.

  2. Create a docker-compose.yaml file and add the provided YAML, or add the runner stanza to an existing Docker Compose file. For information on creating a Docker Compose file, see the official Compose documentation.

  3. Replace ./config with the path to the directory you created for the runner configuration.

  4. Run docker compose up -d.

    You can safely ignore the error DATADOG TRACER DIAGNOSTIC - Agent Error: connect ECONNREFUSED.

  1. Enter a name for your runner.
  2. Click App Builder.
  3. Enter a runner hostname. App Builder calls your runner using this hostname over HTTPS. You must bring your own SSL termination and forward to port 9016 in the container.
  4. Create a directory on your host where the runner can store its configuration, such as ./config. You can also use this directory to store any credentials required by the runner’s connection.
  5. Deploy your runner with Docker or Docker Compose:
  1. Click Docker.

  2. Run the provided docker run command on your host, replacing ./config with the path to the directory you created for the runner configuration.

    You can safely ignore the error DATADOG TRACER DIAGNOSTIC - Agent Error: connect ECONNREFUSED.

  1. Click Docker Compose.

  2. Create a docker-compose.yaml file and add the provided YAML, or add the runner stanza to an existing Docker Compose file. For information on creating a Docker Compose file, see the official Compose docs.

  3. Replace ./config with the path to the directory you created for the runner configuration.

  4. Run docker compose up -d.

    You can safely ignore the error: DATADOG TRACER DIAGNOSTIC - Agent Error: connect ECONNREFUSED.

  1. Enter a name for your runner.
  2. Click Workflows.
  3. Create a directory on your host where the runner can store its configuration, such as ./config. You can also use this directory to store any credentials required by the runner’s connection.
  4. Deploy your runner with Docker or Docker Compose:
  1. Click Docker.

  2. Run the provided docker run command on your host, replacing ./config with the path to the directory you created for the runner configuration.

    You can safely ignore the error DATADOG TRACER DIAGNOSTIC - Agent Error: connect ECONNREFUSED.

  1. Click Docker Compose.

  2. Create a docker-compose.yaml file and add the provided YAML, or add the runner stanza to an existing Docker Compose file. For information on creating a Docker Compose file, see the official Compose docs.

  3. Replace ./config with the path to the directory you created for the runner configuration.

  4. Run docker compose up -d.

    You can safely ignore the error DATADOG TRACER DIAGNOSTIC - Agent Error: connect ECONNREFUSED.

When you see the Ready to use status, you can create a new connection for the runner or see it on the Private Action Runners page:

  • To create a new connection for the runner, click Link Runner to New Connection and select an integration.
  • Click View Runner to see the runner on the Private Action Runners page.

See Connect a runner for more information on pairing your runner with a connection.

Connect a runner

Before you can use an action runner, you must pair it with one or more connections.

To pair a runner to a connection:

  1. From the Workflow Automation or App Builder Connections page, click New Connection.
  2. Select the integration you want to connect with your private action runner. For a list of integrations that support private actions, see Supported private actions.
  3. Add a Connection Name and select your runner from the Private Action Runner dropdown.
  4. Add the paths to any required credential files. For more information on credentials, see:

Use a private action

To use a private action in your Workflow Automation workflow or App Builder app:

  1. From the Workflow Automation page, create a workflow, or open an existing workflow. For information on creating or editing a workflow, see Build Workflows.
  2. Click Add Step and search for the private action you want to add to your workflow. For a list of integrations that support private actions, see Supported private actions.
  3. Enter a name for the step.
  4. Select a Connection from the dropdown or click the plus (+) icon to add a new connection. Using a private action requires a private action runner that is paired with a connection. See Connect a runner for more information.
  5. Complete any required fields and click Save to save your workflow.
  1. From the App Builder page, create an app, or open an existing app. For information on creating or editing an app, see Build Apps.
  2. Click New Query and search for the private action you want to add to your app. For a list of integrations that support private actions, see Supported private actions.
  3. Select a Connection from the dropdown or click the plus (+) icon to add a new connection. Using a private action requires a private action runner paired with a connection. See Connect a runner for more information.
  4. Complete any required fields and click Save to save your query.

Edit private runners

From the Private Action Runner page in Workflow Automation or App Builder, you can view all of your private runners together with the workflows or apps that use each runner. To edit the connection for a runner, click View Details. Click the trash can icon to delete a runner.

Further reading