May 2021 Summaries

AWS has announced the general availability of AWS Lambda Extensions, enabling users to send logs from Lambda functions directly to Honeycomb without needing to modify the functions themselves. The Honeycomb extension for AWS Lambda can be installed as a Lambda Layer, requiring only the configuration of a Honeycomb API key and dataset name. This integration facilitates debugging by automatically sending structured logs emitted by Lambda functions to Honeycomb, even after the function's execution has completed. By running independently of the Lambda function's invocation, the extension enhances the reliability and efficiency of log transmission, reducing overhead, latency, and costs. This development is particularly beneficial for developers who use AWS Lambda in their production service stacks and seek to improve application observability and performance issue resolution with Honeycomb.

o11ycon+hnycon is a dynamic virtual event scheduled for June 9–10, aimed at fostering connections among peers to explore advanced observability practices. The event features a robust lineup of speakers, including industry experts like Nora Jones, Corey Quinn, and Dr. Nicole Forsgren, who will discuss topics such as the integration of observability with incident response, chaos engineering, and the latest OpenTelemetry developments. Attendees can customize their experience by selecting from various sessions across three tracks at each conference, focusing on culture, high-performance engineering, and panels on cloud-native ecosystems. hnycon also offers practical customer tracks and workshops, providing insights from companies like Vanguard and HelloFresh on implementing observability. The event promises a mix of interactive formats, including fireside chats, panels, and live Q&A, aimed at offering practical lessons and business cases for observability while showcasing the latest Honeycomb product updates.

A recent webinar hosted by Honeycomb Solutions Architect Pierre Tessier, featuring Honeycomb CTO Charity Majors, explored the benefits and strategies for implementing continuous deployment (CD) as part of CI/CD pipelines, emphasizing the importance of rapid code deployment to maintain software quality and team accountability. Charity Majors highlighted that reducing the time between code commitment and deployment to around 15 minutes promotes beneficial practices like quick reviews and ensures that only one engineer's changes are deployed at a time, which aids in identifying issues more efficiently if they arise. Despite common fears of breaking production, continuous deployment of small, frequent changes actually simplifies troubleshooting and fosters a better understanding of code impacts, thus reducing burnout among developers. Honeycomb's platform facilitates this transition by providing observability tools that allow teams to track and investigate changes easily, thereby enhancing deployment speed and reliability. The webinar offered insights and code walkthroughs on integrating observability into pipelines using a free Honeycomb account, inviting teams to adopt these practices for improved deployment outcomes.