September 2016 Summaries

Incorporating JFrog Xray with Artifactory enhances software security by automating the detection and prevention of vulnerabilities within software systems, akin to preventive health measures. When artifacts are downloaded to a remote repository cache, Xray automatically scans them for issues, allowing organizations to block the download of artifacts with detected vulnerabilities before they reach production. This system offers two levels of protection: artifacts must be indexed and scanned before download, and developers can control which artifacts to block based on the severity of detected issues, such as minor, major, or critical. By doing so, software systems are shielded from potentially harmful components, maintaining their reliability and performance without manual intervention, much like wearing a protective layer against illness.

DevOps has become a prominent concept in the software industry, emphasizing collaboration between developers and IT operations to facilitate continuous delivery, despite lacking a universally accepted definition. Companies like JFrog are actively participating in initiatives like CloudBees’ DevOps Express, which unites 14 industry leaders to share best practices for transitioning to DevOps. JFrog has a longstanding relationship with Jenkins CI, recognizing its critical role in continuous integration and delivery, and has supported it through tools like the Jenkins Artifactory Plugin. The company values community engagement, as seen in its hosting of the Jenkins User Conference, and is committed to advancing DevOps through collaboration and the adoption of new tools and methodologies.

MBeans, often humorously associated with a children's song, play a significant role in monitoring various applications and devices, particularly within an Ops center where standardization is crucial. Artifactory, a repository manager, has expanded its MBeans support to include HTTP connection pools, remote repositories, and other critical components, enhancing monitoring capabilities. This becomes especially beneficial when managing numerous instances, such as 50 Artifactory instances, where JFrog Mission Control comes into play. Mission Control, now supporting the JMX protocol from version 1.4, enables centralized monitoring of storage, replication status, and more across multiple Artifactory instances through a single portal, like JConsole. JFrog encourages users to explore these enhanced capabilities by offering a free trial of Artifactory Enterprise, while Mission Control is available as a complimentary download.