ProW

Prow is the forward part of a ship or boat, commonly referred to as the bow. It designates the leading edge of the hull that cuts through the water and faces the direction of travel. The prow is a structural and navigational reference point in maritime terminology, often extending above the waterline and sometimes featuring decorative elements such as figureheads in historical ships. In modern ships, the prow is designed to reduce waves and manage spray, contributing to stability and speed. The term is distinct from the stern, which is the rear part of the vessel.

Prow (capitalized) also refers to an open-source continuous integration and delivery system used in the Kubernetes ecosystem. Developed for automation of testing, building, and release workflows, Prow operates within a Kubernetes cluster and integrates with GitHub. It coordinates a suite of components that respond to repository events, run jobs, and report results. Key functions include presubmit, postsubmit, and periodic jobs, which define when tests should run. Core components commonly associated with Prow include Hook, which handles events from GitHub; Plank, which schedules and executes jobs; Deck, which provides a user interface; and Tide, which coordinates merging PRs based on test results. Prow stores its configuration as YAML files in repository contexts and uses a ProwJob resource to track individual jobs. Maintained by the Kubernetes community and used by numerous CNCF projects, Prow is valued for its extensibility and integration with existing development workflows.