November 2023 Summaries

Self-hosted CI/CD solutions offer control and customization but require manual updates, security measures, and infrastructure management, which can be time-consuming and costly. In contrast, fully managed CI/CD platforms provide a low-maintenance option with built-in security features, scalability, integration power, and access anywhere, anytime. Fully managed solutions also tend to have lower costs and higher developer velocity, as they allow developers to focus on innovation rather than maintenance. Ultimately, the choice between self-hosted and fully managed CI/CD depends on an organization's specific needs and priorities.

Ruslan Alikhamov, Senior iOS Engineer at Qonto, presented a session titled "IT'S RAW! Enhancing iOS Developer Experience with Swift Compiler Output & Xcode" where he focused on reducing the compilation duration of an iOS codebase by more than 50% and improving developer experience. Ruslan's team solved this problem by addressing issues with Xcode handling large Swift Source files, which led to a significant improvement in unit test compilation time from 9 minutes 37 seconds to under 4 minutes. The solution involved leveraging Xcode facilities for measuring build performance, using Swift compiler output for better developer experience, and resolving common swift code compilation slowness issues through an internal company-wide hackathon that improved overall developer experience and innovation.

Enhanced Xcode Reporting` is now generally available in `Bitrise`, offering detailed and interactive HTML test results, support for screenshots and videos, and a smoother debugging journey for iOS and macOS developers. The feature simplifies the testing process by providing clear insights into test outcomes, visual artifacts like screenshots and videos, and a more intuitive user interface. `Build Annotations` is also now available in `Bitrise`, allowing developers to surface relevant information directly on the `Bitrise build details page`, simplifying the process of accessing crucial data during build progression and debugging. This feature enables developers to monitor network and compute usage, performance metrics, or employ third-party plugins for more detailed build insights. Build Annotations are styled with Markdown, ensuring a clean and easily understood presentation on the build details page.

Mike Gerasymenko, Staff iOS Engineer at Delivery Hero, delivered an engaging 15-minute session on making apps modular and testing only what's changed during this year's Mobile DevOps Summit 2023. He emphasized the importance of modularization in large-scale app development, highlighting its benefits in terms of scalability, team collaboration, and efficiency. Gerasymenko discussed various tools and techniques for implementing modular architecture, including Swift Package Manager, which enables teams to manage dependencies and speed up PR checks and CI processes. He also introduced an open-source tool called XcodeSelectiveTesting, allowing developers to run tests only relevant to the changes made in their codebase. By adopting a modular approach, developers can significantly reduce testing time and ensure that they're only testing what's changed, making it easier to maintain and update large apps.

This release at a glance: Designed for companies bound by tightening security policies, Bitrise on AWS unites Bitrise Mobile DevOps capabilities with your existing AWS infrastructure, enabling you to run CI/CD pipelines on your own AWS infrastructure for proven security and efficient resource utilization. Setting up the Bitrise on AWS is a simple process that takes only minutes, integrating easily with your AWS EC2 instances. With this release, you can run your Bitrise workflows on your AWS instances, optimizing performance by selecting preferred machine types and regions for specific project needs. The integration supports macOS and Linux virtual and bare-metal EC2 instances, delivering advantages such as automatically managed stack and mobile tooling, autoscaling instances to match throughput demands, and ensuring consistent performance with automatic replacement of faulty instances. Bitrise on AWS aims to simplify CI/CD workflows, reduce maintenance work, and optimize AWS infrastructure costs, reflecting the company's commitment to supporting customers who are focused on a cloud-native strategy.