Image-1 (6).png

Establish CI/CD Pipelines in Software Development Using Cloud Engineering Services

Introduction

Software development has become more reliable, scalable, and agile with improved speed and enhanced security. Adopting continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) practices along with robust cloud engineering and infrastructure have streamlined application deployment, reduced downtime, minimized deployment costs, and maintained seamless integration. Cloud engineering ensures the delivery of high-quality applications, automating development and testing processes. Cloud infrastructure also offers diverse services, such as containerization and Infrastructure as Code (IaC), with the help of popular cloud service providers, such as AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform.

Actors

  • 01

    The DevOps Team

    They are responsible for writing high-quality tested codes and making changes to the code based on version control. They also monitor the overall performance of the production environment, system metrics, and logs.

  • 02

    CI/CD Server

    Automates the process of code integration and application deployment in addition to running and building tests whenever there is a change in the code.

  • 03

    Build Server

    It generates artifacts by compiling the source code. The source codes are complied with the execution of build scripts and manage dependencies.

  • 04

    Artifact Repository

    It stores and manages versioned and built artifacts so developers can easily retrieve them during deployment. It also contains artifact metadata and dependencies.

  • 05

    Other Critical Actors

    A few other crucial actors in this use case play different roles, such as a version control system for tracking changes made by developers, test automation frameworks for automation of additional tests, and a production environment for hosting live operational application versions.

Pre-Conditions

  • Establishing Cloud Infrastructure

    Whether an AWS cloud engineer or an Azure cloud engineer, you must ensure that cloud infrastructure is provisioned and configured correctly. You must set up proper networks, virtual machines, and access controls that host CI/CD pipelines.

  • Source Code Repository

    You must store the source code of a software development project in a version control system like Git. You must implement the best practices to branch, merge, and commit changes.

  • Build Tools

    Cloud engineering solutions also ensure the project configuration with the best build tools like Gradle or Maven. Developers must place the build scripts to compile source code and generate artifacts appropriately.

  • Unit Tests

    Unit tests are always integrated into the source code, and they play a pivotal role in validating the individual unit code’s functionality and ensuring its improved quality.

Post Conditions

  • Establishing CI/CD Pipeline

    Developers can use various tools, such as GitLab CI/CD and Jenkins, to set up continuous integration and delivery pipelines. The pipeline provides an automated workflow to create tests and deploy software.

  • Automated Testing

    Different automated tests, such as unit tests, functional tests, regression tests, etc., are integrated into the CI/CD pipelines. These tests are conducted to confirm that the code changes do not bring regressions.

  • Artifact Repository

    The artifact repository, such as Artifactory or Nexus, has been configured to create artifacts. It ensures that all artifacts have been versioned, and you can easily retrieve them during development.

  • Deployment Targets

    Cloud engineering services provide deployment targets, such as production environments and staging. You can easily define and access these deployment targets and ensure they replicate the production environment very closely.

Main Flow

Alternative Flow

Alternative Flow
  • Failure of Testing - The AWS or Azure engineer may face circumstances when tests, such as unit, functional, integration, or UAT fail, leading to pipeline halts and interruptions. However, they may get notifications regarding the same to address the issue quickly and appropriately.  
  • Rollback Conditions - If the CI/CD pipeline detects any abnormality in the production environment, deployment, or post-deployment process, it initiates a rollback mechanism, where the application is reverted to its previous state or a stable version. 
  • Security Vulnerability -If the cloud security engineer identifies a security vulnerability in the code or dependency, he may ask the development team to conduct a security review and understand its nature and severity.
Image-2 (2).png

Conclusion

Continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) tools have accelerated, automated, optimized, and simplified the software development process with comprehensive support from cloud engineering services. It has streamlined all phases, mainly build, testing, and deployment. It has enabled software developers to provide faster delivery of high-quality applications hassle-free and error-free. Combining DevOps practices with the CI/CD process has enhanced team collaboration and productivity, leading to a much more improved and reliable software development lifecycle.

Suggested TechStack

Jenkins.png

 It is a free and open-source Java-based tool that provides scalability and flexibility during app development and is used for continuous integration and continuous delivery.

AWSAzure Pipelines.png

Popular cloud service providers that help to store and manage data on the cloud for real-time access and are integrated with a build tool from CI.

GitLab CI.png

Another popular free and open-source software that can seamlessly integrate with other platforms and third-party tools through an API. It also configures deployment and release pipelines with GitLab.

Leverage CICD Tools for Rapid and Reliable Software Delivery Using Cloud Engineering Services

Cloud Engineering and CI/CD Enhance Software Development

Discuss a project