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The Cloud Runner executes journey build artifacts on Reqflo’s managed infrastructure. It handles durable worker execution, cloud-managed secret resolution, and result reporting — so you get consistent, auditable runs without managing your own execution environment.

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Mental model

When you run a journey with --cloud (or trigger a cloud run from the UI or a scheduled automation), Reqflo:
  1. Resolves the journey’s current build artifact — the compiled, versioned representation of the journey’s steps, values, and assertions.
  2. Dispatches the artifact to a durable worker for execution.
  3. The worker executes each step, resolving secret references from cloud-managed secrets storage (never from the client).
  4. Results, assertions, logs, and evidence are collected and returned to the UI and any configured reporters.
The Cloud Runner is intentionally opaque about its internal implementation — what matters is that runs are reproducible, secrets stay secure, and results are complete.

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Behavior reference

BehaviorDescription
Artifact-based executionThe Cloud Runner always executes a build artifact, not the live journey definition. This ensures consistency between what was tested and what is running.
Durable worker executionRuns are managed by a durable worker that can survive transient failures. If a run step fails mid-journey, the failure is captured and reported rather than silently lost.
Cloud-managed secret resolutionSecret references in journeys are resolved inside the Cloud Runner against cloud-managed secrets storage. Secret values are never passed from the client and never appear in logs or output.
Result reportingRun output — request/response details, assertion results, derived values, errors, and logs — is returned to Reqflo and available in the UI and any configured output formats.
ParallelismData-driven runs (using --data) dispatch multiple run instances in parallel, each handling one row or record from the data file.
Environment targetingThe Cloud Runner respects the --env flag, pulling environment values (base URLs, service config) for the specified environment.

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Secrets in the Cloud Runner

Secret references work differently from other value types. When a journey step needs a secret:
  • The secret is identified by name only in the journey YAML and UI.
  • The actual secret value is stored in cloud-managed secrets storage, managed via the Admin → Secrets configuration.
  • At run time, the Cloud Runner resolves the secret value internally. It is never sent from the client, never logged, and never visible in run output.
For local CLI runs (without --cloud), secret references resolve from your local environment or local secret configuration instead.
Secret values are never displayed anywhere in Reqflo — not in the UI, not in logs, not in run output. If a secret cannot be resolved, the run fails with a missing secret error. See Errors.

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When to use the Cloud Runner

ScenarioRecommendation
CI/CD pipeline runsUse --cloud for consistent, infrastructure-managed execution.
Scheduled automationCloud runs are the standard mode for scheduled journeys.
Production smoke testsCloud Runner with cloud-managed secrets keeps credentials off developer machines.
Local development and debuggingLocal runs (without --cloud) are faster for iteration.
Runbook executionRunbooks can trigger Cloud Runner runs depending on configuration.