Despite having a robust arsenal of DevOps tools, many organisations struggle with prolonged lead times, delayed releases, and recurring production issues.
In this article, we will delve into the common concerns voiced by organizations and explore how adopting Continuous Delivery can address these challenges.
In the intricate realm of software development, organisations often echo common refrains of frustration and bewilderment:
➔ "We have all the DevOps tools but still, we are not delivering fast enough?"
➔ "Too much lead time to go from UAT to production."
➔ "We have been doing CI/CD for years, why can't we release when we want to?"
➔ "Despite automated build and deploy, why does it take so long to release?"
➔ "Why do we still see production issues?"
➔ "How can we reduce time to market?"
These questions underscore a shared concern among organizations striving to keep pace with the relentless demands of the software development landscape.
Identifying the Needs and Wants:
In response to these challenges, organizations express specific needs and desires:
What they need:
Faster Release Cycle
Continuous Integration
Quality Assurance
Security
What they want:
Sell fast
Sell best
To ensure these needs and wants, organisations seek a comprehensive solution – a one-stop station for application lifecycle management and continuous delivery of quality products. The complexity of these requirements necessitates a return to the fundamentals and a closer examination of Continuous Delivery.
Understanding Continuous Delivery:
"Continuous Delivery is a software development discipline where you build software in such a way that the software can be released to production at any time." - Martin Fowler
Continuous Delivery embodies the ability to introduce changes of all types into the hands of users safely, quickly, and sustainably. It ensures that the code is always in a deployable state, laying the foundation for a responsive and efficient development lifecycle.
The Anatomy of a Continuous Delivery Pipeline:
The Continuous Delivery pipeline comprises five key phases, each playing a crucial role in the iterative cycle:
1. Develop:
Everything is Version Controlled
Trunk Based Development
Commit to trunk/master daily
Peer review using MRs/PRs
Use feature toggles to hide unfinished code
Maintain a releasable trunk
Avoid committing code on a broken branch
2. Build:
Think beyond localhost.
Build once, deploy anywhere.
Centralised package store.
Semantic versioning for all packages (Apps, Configs, DB scripts, etc.).
CI pipeline for build, package, publish, version upgrades, and build promotion.
Repeat the principles of development.
Incorporate centralized package management and version control.
Employ a CI pipeline for efficient build, package, publish, version upgrades, and build promotion.
3. Test:
Embrace Test-Driven Development (TDD).
Fail fast and early, enabling swift resolution.
Focus on maximum unit test coverage.
Integrate test automation at every level.
Leverage Continuous Integration and Reporting for rapid, meaningful feedback.
Implement parallel test pipelines to optimize testing efficiency.
4. Deploy:
Embrace Version Controlled Infrastructure as Code.
Design once, implement in multiple ways.
Implement Configuration Management to model server configurations, relationships, and packages in code.
Test Infrastructure Code to ensure reliability.
Enable scalable environments on demand.
Embrace Immutable Infrastructure for zero downtime deployments.
5. Release:
Implement Role-Based Access Control for the production deployment pipeline
Ensure end-to-end traceability from code to customers
Establish production readiness checkpoints
Integrate robust monitoring, logging, and alerting systems
Always have a contingency plan (Plan B) in place
Here's a sample CD workflow:
Summary:
Continuous Delivery is not a mere set of practices; it's a transformative discipline that empowers organisations to release software swiftly, reliably, and with high quality.
By addressing the common concerns and adhering to the foundational principles of faster release cycles, continuous integration, quality assurance, and security, organisations can confidently navigate the complex software development landscape.
The journey toward a one-stop station for application lifecycle management and continuous delivery ensures that organisations not only sell fast but also sell the best in today's competitive market.
If you like this article, I am sure you will find 10-Factor Infrastructure even more useful. It compiles all these tried and tested methodologies, design patterns & best practices into a complete framework for building secure, scalable and resilient modern infrastructure.
Don’t let your best-selling product suffer due to an unstable, vulnerable & mutable infrastructure.
Thanks & Regards
Kamalika Majumder
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