> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/tektoncd/pipeline/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Task with Workspaces

> Using workspaces to share data between steps and provide storage

Workspaces provide a way to share data between steps and to access external storage volumes. This example demonstrates optional workspaces.

## Example

```yaml theme={null}
apiVersion: tekton.dev/v1
kind: TaskRun
metadata:
  generateName: optional-workspaces-
spec:
  workspaces:
  - name: source-code
    emptyDir: {}
  taskSpec:
    workspaces:
    - name: source-code
      optional: true
    - name: extra-config
      optional: true
    steps:
    - name: check-workspaces
      image: mirror.gcr.io/alpine
      script: |
        if [ "$(workspaces.source-code.bound)" == "true" ]; then
          printf "Source code workspace was provided at %s!\n" "$(workspaces.source-code.path)"
        fi
        if [ "$(workspaces.extra-config.bound)" == "true" ]; then
          printf "Unexpected extra configuration mounted at %s\n" "$(workspaces.extra-config.path)"
          exit 1
        fi
```

## How It Works

<Steps>
  <Step title="Declare Workspaces in Task">
    The task declares two optional workspaces: `source-code` and `extra-config`. The `optional: true` flag means the task can run even if these workspaces aren't provided.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Provide Workspaces in TaskRun">
    The TaskRun provides only the `source-code` workspace, backed by an `emptyDir` volume. The `extra-config` workspace is intentionally not provided.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Check Workspace Availability">
    The step uses `$(workspaces.NAME.bound)` to check if a workspace was provided. This allows the task to behave differently based on what's available.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Access Workspace Path">
    When a workspace is bound, you can access its mount path using `$(workspaces.NAME.path)`.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Workspace Variables

Tekton provides several variables for each workspace:

* `$(workspaces.NAME.path)` - The filesystem path where the workspace is mounted
* `$(workspaces.NAME.bound)` - "true" if the workspace was provided, "false" otherwise
* `$(workspaces.NAME.volume)` - The name of the volume backing the workspace

## Workspace Types

Workspaces can be backed by different volume types:

* **emptyDir**: Temporary storage that exists only for the TaskRun
* **persistentVolumeClaim**: Persistent storage that survives across runs
* **configMap**: Read-only configuration data
* **secret**: Read-only sensitive data

## Expected Output

```
Source code workspace was provided at /workspace/source-code!
```

The task succeeds because:

1. The `source-code` workspace is provided and detected
2. The `extra-config` workspace is not provided (as expected)

## Key Concepts

* **Workspaces**: Named volumes that can be mounted into task steps
* **Optional Workspaces**: Tasks can declare workspaces as optional using `optional: true`
* **Workspace Binding**: The process of providing a volume for a workspace at runtime
* **Shared Storage**: All steps in a task share the same workspace mounts

## Next Steps

* See [workspace usage in pipelines](/examples/pipelines/simple-pipeline)
* Learn about [task results](/examples/tasks/task-with-results)