May 2019 Summaries

A recent survey on engineering velocity and release practices highlights the struggles of engineering organizations due to inadequate automation, particularly in the context of managing microservices, which, while beneficial for scaling, have introduced significant complexity in deployment processes. The survey, which encompassed a range of engineering and operations teams, revealed that many teams are still experiencing slow release cycles, with over half releasing monthly or slower, and few expecting improvement in the near term. A significant shift is occurring as deployment responsibilities move from operations to application engineers, yet a lack of comprehensive automation remains a substantial barrier to faster deployment. The survey underscores the importance of automation in increasing developer velocity, which not only enhances competitiveness and job satisfaction but also delivers greater business value by enabling faster and more frequent changes. A case study within the survey demonstrated a 24-fold improvement in the code/build/release cycle through automation, emphasizing its critical role in optimizing engineering processes and financial outcomes. Additionally, the survey notes the growing adoption of serverless technology.

The transition from monolithic architectures to microservices, facilitated by Kubernetes clusters, is reshaping CI/CD pipeline management, as demonstrated by Codefresh's approach to microservices. Codefresh offers a streamlined solution for managing the complexities associated with microservice pipelines by using a single, reusable pipeline for all microservices within an application, eliminating the need for shared pipeline segments and reducing maintenance burdens. This model allows for scalability and simplicity, as new microservices can be integrated by merely adding triggers, regardless of the underlying technology used to build them. Codefresh's internal use of its platform exemplifies this efficiency, where its numerous microservices are managed by just two pipelines, showcasing the benefits of centralizing CI/CD logic. This strategy ensures that best practices, such as security scanning, are uniformly applied across all projects, simplifying infrastructure management and fostering collaboration among teams.

Codefresh is actively seeking new team members to join its collaborative environment, where people are valued for their individual contributions rather than being seen as mere assets. With several open positions available, the company encourages applicants from various expertise levels to apply and become part of its growing team. Founded in 2014, Codefresh is expanding within the booming CI/CD space, offering opportunities for personal development and skill enhancement. The company places high importance on automation, pipelines, and infrastructure as code, with DevOps being a central aspect of its operations. Codefresh promotes a culture of distributed collaboration, with offices in multiple cities and remote work opportunities available for those with the necessary skills and self-discipline.