August 2019 Summaries

Helm Hub serves as a central catalog for the growing number of public Helm chart repositories, providing an easy way to find Kubernetes-ready apps, although it cannot be accessed directly through the Helm CLI. To address this, the Helm-hub-sync tool was developed, enabling the creation and maintenance of a virtual Helm chart repository in JFrog Artifactory, which acts as a single source of truth for Helm charts. This tool runs in a Kubernetes cluster, retrieves repository lists from Helm Hub, and automatically sets up remote repositories in Artifactory, consolidating them into a virtual repository. Users can then access any Helm chart from this single URL, benefiting from faster retrieval speeds and streamlined management. Helm-hub-sync requires specific prerequisites for installation and configuration and allows for integration with private Helm repositories to create a comprehensive Kubernetes registry. As Helm Hub continues to grow, Helm-hub-sync ensures Artifactory's virtual repository remains updated, providing a centralized and efficient solution for managing Helm charts across public and private sources.

JFrog Artifactory 6.12 introduces several new features and enhancements, underscoring the company's commitment to quality and user-centric updates. This release is a step toward JFrog's Unified Experience and JFrog Pipelines, offering new capabilities such as support for Smart Remote Repositories on Edge Nodes, which facilitates artifact pulling from other Artifactory instances with the necessary licenses. The platform now also supports S3 cloud storage using the official AWS SDK without requiring changes for users of the JetS3t library. Additionally, a new feature in Virtual Docker repositories allows them to pull the latest Docker images based on modification time rather than resolution order, enhancing functionality in multi-site environments. Users can explore the full details of these updates and more in the release notes.

In a keynote speech at swampUP 2019, it was asserted that by 2020, all companies will adopt DevOps practices due to the ubiquitous nature of software in everyday life and its critical role in operations across various sectors. The speech highlighted that software failures, such as the Bay Area blackout and the Boeing 737 tragedy, underscore the importance of reliable software updates. With a massive influx of data projected to reach 175 zetabytes globally by 2025, the demand for DevOps expertise is growing, as evidenced by significant acquisitions like IBM's purchase of Red Hat and Microsoft's acquisition of GitHub, as well as the success of IPOs from companies like PagerDuty and Elastic. The move towards hybrid operations, blending on-premises and cloud solutions, signifies a full-stack development shift, emphasizing the need for integrated software development, release, and security processes. As companies increasingly become "Developer First," there is a push for collaboration and community engagement within the developer sphere, with an urgent call to prepare for the future where DevOps will be integral to managing, releasing, and securing the vast amounts of incoming data.