We're sometimes asked, "Can you run Bash or Python scripts natively in Tines?" and today, we're sharing the answer, and weighing in on the debate between full-code, low-code and no-code automation.
The short answer is yes, you can run scripts and Linux commands natively in Tines, however, you might not necessarily want to. Many of our customers avoid doing so for security, usability and performance reasons. Let's take a closer look at some of these potential pitfalls.
Security risks. By allowing the use of custom code, you’re also allowing any engineer or analyst with access to Tines to potentially write unstable or dangerous code. You then have to deal with importing arbitrary libraries. This introduces new risks of supply chain compromise, additional dependency management, and potentially conflicts between version requirements between workflows.
Maintenance. Your workflow automation platform is likely outside the scope of organizational supply-chain controls, so you’ll have to create new processes to manage the security of the custom code you're using in workflows.
Performance issues. You'll have to deal with long-running code, timeouts, and max memory usage.
At Tines, we have some customers that want to accept the risk of custom code. These customers can do so via the Run Python Script action. You'll still have to deal with long-running code and timeouts, and it's worth noting that these aren’t skills your typical analyst would or should have. Read our how-to guide to learn more.
Given all the above, we find that our customers, even those with a Python development background, prefer using the native Tines builder. With Tines, you can do everything you can do with scripting, but it’s faster, more secure, and more collaborative.
Automation provides a practical solution to the challenges of increasing workloads and higher-than-average levels of burnout. And when it comes to automation, more and more practitioners are considering alternatives to Python, PowerShell, or Bash. This is where Tines comes in.
Tines vs Python automation: Common building components
When automating tasks, there are building patterns common to all technologies. These are HTTP requests, Webhooks, Data Manipulation, and Scheduling.
HTTP Requests
One of the most common tasks in automation is making HTTP requests to retrieve data. Below are examples of how Tines and Python can be used to make the same request to VirusTotal.