December 2023 Summaries

Mark Harrison's blog post introduces two new step templates designed to enhance the integration of Octopus with Azure App Configuration. The "Azure AppConfig KV - Retrieve Values" step template allows users to fetch key-value pairs from an Azure App Configuration instance, creating output variables for further use in deployments or runbooks. The "Azure Function - Set AppSettings from Azure AppConfig" step template retrieves values and adds them directly to an Azure Function's application settings. Both templates necessitate Azure authentication, typically via Microsoft Entra ID, and require users to configure various parameters such as Azure account permissions, key names, and retrieval methods. Advanced features include support for wildcard searches and handling multiple keys, although certain combinations, like custom output variable names with wildcards, are not supported. These step templates aim to streamline deployments by efficiently managing application settings and configurations within Azure environments.

Octopus Deploy experienced a successful year in 2023, marked by significant improvements and expansions in its deployment capabilities, particularly in Kubernetes, tenanted deployments, and scaling operations. Key updates included better Kubernetes object status checks, Kustomize support, tenant management enhancements, and integration with GitHub and Microsoft Azure through OpenID Connect. The company also launched its virtual conference, SHIPPED23, to share insights on software delivery, and actively participated in numerous industry events worldwide to engage with the DevOps community. Additionally, Octopus focused on refining its website and introducing new content to better illustrate its value and deployment strategies. The year was highlighted by impressive deployment statistics and continued growth in customer engagement, reflecting Octopus's commitment to improving deployment processes and supporting software teams globally.

Execution containers in Octopus Deploy facilitate tool management during step execution, but updating these containers can be cumbersome when multiple projects and runbooks are involved. The octopusdeploy/worker-tools image, widely used due to its integrated tools, does not use the latest tag, necessitating manual specification of the version in each step. To streamline the update process, Shawn Sesna developed a PowerShell script leveraging the Octopus API to automate updating execution container images across spaces, projects, and runbooks. This script identifies and updates instances using the deprecated Ubuntu 18.04 image, replacing them with specified versions for Linux or Windows. The script is designed to skip unpublished runbooks and version-controlled projects, ensuring minimal disruption. This automation significantly reduces the burden of manual updates, showcasing the Octopus API's capabilities for efficient and automated maintenance of deployment processes.

Operations teams play a critical role in software delivery, comparable in importance to developers, as highlighted by the DevOps methodology, which underscores the need for improved collaboration between development and operations. The article explores the three core phases of software operations: day-0, day-1, and day-2. Day-0 involves planning, addressing infrastructure needs, and assessing financial implications before any deployment. Day-1 focuses on the deployment process, requiring careful management and often automation to reduce anxiety and ensure smooth execution. Day-2 encompasses post-deployment activities, including monitoring, routine maintenance, and responding to infrastructure failures, ensuring ongoing application performance. The perception that operations only occur in day-2 is challenged, emphasizing their ongoing involvement throughout the deployment pipeline. Tools like Octopus facilitate deployment automation and support operations teams in maintaining software performance across all phases.

Anton Zagrebelny, co-founder and CTO at Stigg, shares his insights on DevOps, emphasizing its role in the entire software product lifecycle from development to production, focusing on scalability and cost-effectiveness. At Stigg, they embraced a DevOps culture early, implementing automation and Infrastructure as Code (IaC) to enable rapid product iteration and deployment. Anton's DevOps journey began with his own software services company, where he navigated multi-cloud complexities using Kubernetes and Terraform. He highlights the challenges of adapting to both internal and external changes in the tech landscape and finds the automation of processes from code push to deployment rewarding. Stigg utilizes AWS CDK, CloudFormation, and Octopus Deploy for managing infrastructure and deployments, with a CI/CD pipeline that ensures seamless integration. For newcomers to DevOps, Anton advises starting with foundational skills like Docker, containerization, and networking, and recommends "The DevOps 2.0 Toolkit" by Victor Farcic for further learning.

Octopus Deploy is set to modernize its feature set in 2024 by phasing out support for certain legacy components, including Windows Server 2003 and 2008, Mono runtime on Linux, Azure Cloud Services Classic, and F# scripting, in favor of newer technologies like .NET Core. The changes align with vendor-supported platforms to enhance security and stability, with the removal of support for Windows Server 2003 and the transition to .NET4.6.2 being immediate, while support for Windows Server 2008 will continue until the 2025.1 release. Azure Cloud Services Classic will be deprecated by August 31, 2024, and users are encouraged to migrate to Azure Cloud Services extended support, though this will not be fully supported by Octopus. The transition from ScriptCS to dotnet script for C# execution is in progress, and the Octo CLI tool has been redesigned to offer a better user experience while maintaining backward compatibility. These updates reflect Octopus's commitment to keeping its deployment scenarios streamlined and secure, and users are encouraged to reach out to support if they have concerns about the changes.