> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.ankra.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Applications

> Point Ankra at an application's source repository and it generates the Dockerfile, Helm chart, and CI/CD to build and deploy it - then ships it as a stack.

Applications take you from source code to a deployable, GitOps-managed workload. Connect an application's Git repository and Ankra analyzes it, generates the packaging it's missing - a Dockerfile, a Helm chart, and a CI/CD pipeline - and opens a pull request in your repo. Once merged, CI builds and publishes a container image and Helm chart, and you deploy the application as part of a [stack](/concepts/stacks).

<Note>
  Applications connect to **GitHub** repositories and use a [GitHub credential](/integrations/github). The generated CI/CD pipeline pushes the container image to GitHub Container Registry (GHCR) and publishes the Helm chart as an OCI artifact.
</Note>

***

## How it works

```mermaid theme={null}
flowchart LR
    Repo[Your app repo] -->|connect| Ankra[Ankra]
    Ankra -->|"analyze + generate (PR)"| PR[Pull request]
    PR -->|merge| CICD[CI/CD pipeline]
    CICD -->|push image| GHCR[GHCR image]
    CICD -->|publish chart| Chart[OCI Helm chart]
    Chart -->|deploy| Stack[Stack on cluster]
```

<Steps>
  <Step title="Connect a repository">
    Provide a name, a GitHub credential, and the repo owner, name, and branch (defaults to `main`).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Analyze and generate">
    Ankra inspects the repository, detects the language and framework, and generates the artifacts it needs - a Dockerfile, a Helm chart, and a CI/CD workflow - opening a pull request with the changes.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Merge the pull request">
    Review and merge the PR. Merging activates the CI/CD pipeline in your repository.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Build and publish">
    CI builds and pushes the container image to GHCR and publishes the Helm chart as an OCI artifact. Ankra surfaces the image URL, chart OCI URL, and the `helm repo add` command.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Deploy">
    Deploy the application onto a cluster as part of a [stack](/concepts/stacks). Ankra tracks its readiness from there.
  </Step>
</Steps>

***

## What Ankra tracks

For each application you see:

* **State** and **analysis status** - where the application is in the connect/analyze/generate/build lifecycle, with an error message if something needs attention.
* **Repository** - owner, name, branch, and URL.
* **Artifacts** - the container image URL, the Helm chart OCI URL, and a ready-to-copy `helm repo add` command.
* **Pull request** - a link to the generated PR.
* **Jobs** - the underlying platform jobs for the application, so you can follow analysis and generation as it runs.

### Security scanning

Applications include code and container security insights, so vulnerabilities surface alongside the build rather than in a separate tool. Pair this with [AI Insights](/platform/ai-insights) for proactive analysis.

***

## Managing applications

| Action        | What it does                                                                                                              |
| ------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Retry**     | Re-run analysis and generation after fixing an issue (for example, adding the right credential or repository permissions) |
| **Reconcile** | Re-evaluate the application against its repository and refresh its state                                                  |
| **Delete**    | Disconnect the application from Ankra                                                                                     |

***

## Prerequisites

<Steps>
  <Step title="Connect GitHub">
    Add a [GitHub credential](/integrations/github) with access to the application's repository. The Ankra GitHub App needs permission to open pull requests and commit workflow files; the generated CI/CD pipeline then builds and pushes the image to GHCR using the repository's own GitHub Actions token. See the [GitHub integration](/integrations/github) for the exact scopes (including the optional permission that lets Ankra fix the Actions token so the first build can push to GHCR).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Have a target cluster">
    Make sure you have a [cluster](/guides/import-cluster) with the [agent](/concepts/cluster-agent) connected to deploy onto.
  </Step>
</Steps>

***

## API

Applications are available over the API for CLI and scripted use, under `/api/v1/org/applications` (bearer-token authenticated) — create, list, inspect, retry, reconcile, and delete. See the [API Reference](/api-reference/introduction) for endpoints and schemas.

See the [CI/CD Pipeline guide](/guides/cicd-pipeline) for how the generated pipeline fits into GitOps.