Pipelines in Power Platform

Platform Host vs Custom Host Pipelines!

Anders Moth Falk

Power Platform now offers a mature ALM experience with pipelines. You can use the Pipeline Platform Host for simple deployments directly inside your environment, or set up a Custom Host pipeline in a dedicated Host environment for more advanced scenarios. This post explains both options, how to extend pipelines with Power Automate flows, and how to integrate Copilot to improve deployment documentation. It also covers environment strategy for Dev, UAT, Prod, and Host.

Pipeline Platform Host

The Pipeline Platform Host is Microsoft’s built-in pipeline experience that runs directly inside your environment. It’s easy to get started and integrates well with solutions and managed environments.

Target environments in pipelines must be enabled as Managed Environments.

How to set up a simple pipeline

  1. Go to Power Apps.
  2. Select your development environment.
  3. Select Solutions in the left menu.
  4. Select your solution.
  5. Click on Pipelines in the left side panel.
  6. Click on Create pipeline in the top bar.
  7. Give your pipeline a Name, Description, and set the target environment to your UAT or Production environment.

You can now run the pipeline by selecting it and clicking Deploy here.

Limitations

  • Pipelines in the Platform Host are tied to the environment and solution — they cannot easily be shared across team members, which limits collaboration.
  • No advanced hooks for pre-deployment validation beyond the built-in features.

Custom Host Pipelines in Power Platform Host Environment

A Custom Host pipeline allows you to centralize deployment logic inside a dedicated Host environment in Power Platform. Unlike the Platform Host pipeline, this setup enables richer automation, pre-deployment steps, and team collaboration.

How to set up a custom host pipeline

  1. In the Power Platform admin center, select or create a dedicated Host environment.
  2. Click on Resources in the top bar.
  3. Search for Power Platform Pipeline and click Install.
  4. After installation, open Power Apps and make sure you are in your Host environment.
  5. Click on Apps from the Host environment and select All.
  6. You should now see Deployment Pipeline Configuration. Click Play.
  7. Select Pipelines in the left menu.
  8. Click on + New.
  9. Fill in your pipeline’s Name and Description.
  10. Click Save. Two new galleries will appear: Linked Development Environments and Deployment Stages (Deployment Pipeline).
  11. Add a new Linked Development Environment by selecting + New Linked Development Environment.
  12. Fill in the Name, set EnvironmentType to Development Environment, and enter your Power Platform Development Environment ID with a Description.
  13. Click Save and Close.
  14. Add a new Deployment Stage by clicking + New Deployment Stage.
  15. Fill in the Name and Description. Leave Previous Deployment Stage empty, and in Target Deployment Environment ID select + New.
  16. Click Save and Close.
You can now trigger the pipeline inside your solution just like when using the Pipeline Platform Host.

During setup, you also have the option to select Pre-Export Step Required, Pre-Deployment Step Required, and Is Delegated Deployment. When enabled, these automatically run flows created in the host environment.

Extending Pipelines with Power Automate

Power Automate flows can extend your pipelines with additional orchestration:

  • Trigger pipelines after approvals or specific business events.
  • Send notifications or Teams messages when a pipeline completes.
  • Create deployment notes or tickets automatically in external systems.

You can also configure multiple Pre-Deployment Steps and assign them to different pipelines by setting a trigger condition on the trigger.

// Example: Trigger condition in Power Automate

// Trigger for specific pipeline
@equals(triggerOutputs()?['body/OutputParameters/DeploymentPipelineName'], 'Refurb Pipeline')

// Trigger for specific Stage
@equals(triggerOutputs()?['body/OutputParameters/DeploymentStageName'], 'Refurb UAT')

Environment Strategy: Dev, UAT, Prod, and Host

Adopt a clear separation of environments to ensure safe deployments. I usually use:

  • Dev — sandbox for developers.
  • UAT — testing environment for business validation.
  • Prod — live system with strict controls.
  • Host — centralized environment where custom pipelines run, isolated from business data.
So i would end up with Refurb development, Refurb UAT, Refurb Prod and Refurb Host.

Conclusion

Power Platform offers two main pipeline options: the Pipeline Platform Host for simple, environment-specific automation, and Custom Host pipelines in a dedicated Host environment for advanced scenarios and team collaboration. By combining these with Power Automate for orchestration and Copilot, you can create a robust and auditable ALM process. Always follow a clear Dev/UAT/Prod environment strategy to keep deployments reliable and secure.