Buildkite checks the boxes for Wayfair as a resilient, reusable, and fun CI platform

Lelia Bray-Musso and Gary White Jr., members of Wayfair's Open Source Program Office (OSPO) team, shared their experience with upgrading their CI approach using Buildkite at last year's Unblock conference. They identified three key themes for a successful CI: code reusability, infrastructure resilience, and user experience/developer leverage. Prior to Buildkite, Wayfair faced challenges with its "snowflake" infrastructure, including maintenance issues and longer build times. Buildkite simplified these problems through features like queues, dynamic pipelines, and plugins. Queues allowed for easier identification of machines for specific purposes, while dynamic pipelines enabled the creation of modular pipeline configurations. Plugins centralized and tracked commonly requested pipeline functionality, improving discoverability and ease of use. Overall, Buildkite's features contributed to a more resilient, reusable, and enjoyable CI experience for Wayfair developers.