Migrating from Scripts to Viash Components
Transform your fragile collection of scripts into robust, shareable Viash components. This guide walks you through a proven 5-step modernization process that turns ad-hoc pipelines into maintainable, reusable workflows. Learn how to inventory existing scripts, componentize them with Viash, compose workflows, and publish to Viash Hub for team collaboration.
Modernization Path
- Inventory your scripts -- list all tasks performed, inputs consumed and outputs produced. Identify common patterns (e.g. QC, alignment, summarization).
- Componentize -- for each task, create a Viash component using
viash init. Encapsulate the original script inside a container and describe its interface declaratively. - Compose workflows -- string components together using Nextflow, Snakemake or other orchestrators. Because each component adheres to a clear interface, composition is straightforward.
- Publish and share -- push your new components to Viash Hub so colleagues can discover and reuse them. Document how the modernized workflow maps to the old scripts.
- Iterate and extend -- as your needs evolve, swap components or insert new ones without breaking existing pipelines.
Benefits
- Maintainability -- individual components can be tested and updated independently.
- Reusability -- others can adopt your components for different projects, accelerating science.
- Governance -- containers, versioning and SBOMs bring your pipeline in line with enterprise requirements.
- Portability -- run anywhere: on your laptop for development, on HPC for production, or in the cloud for scaling.
Modernizing a pipeline is not trivial, but Viash and its Hub provide a structured path forward. If your team needs help, consider engaging Data Intuitive's Workflow Modernization Accelerator service.