Don Jennings’ Post

Git Cliff is a great tool to automate not just change-logs, but release versions as well! In this article, I describe how I combined it with GitHub Actions to make my deployments a breeze 😮💨 https://lnkd.in/gtMpQRJC

What GitHub Pull Requests Reveal about Your Team’s Dev Habits... Does your team suffer from duplicate git Issues? How about competing or over-stuffed pull requests? A group of researchers have discovered all sorts of ways your dev team may be working with less-than-optimal efficiency.

As part of my commitment to the DRY principle this year and in line with the concepts that steer Platform Engineering, I delved into working with Composite Action and Reusable Workflows within GitHub Actions. While they share similarities, I identified distinct differences and appropriate use cases for each. I've detailed these findings in the article linked below. #git #github #githubactions #cicd #devops

Setting Up a Secure CI/CD Pipeline with GitHub Actions, DockerHub, and Kubernetes Are you looking to streamline your development workflow and automate your deployment process? Check out my latest article on Medium where I walk you through the steps to set up a robust CI/CD pipeline using GitHub Actions, DockerHub, and Kubernetes. What you'll learn: - How to securely configure secrets in GitHub Actions - Automatically build and push Docker images - Deploy applications to Kubernetes using Minikube for local testing Whether you're a beginner or an experienced developer, this guide has something for everyone. Don’t miss out on enhancing your CI/CD pipeline! Read the full article on Medium Feel free to share your thoughts and experiences in the comments. Let's dive into the world of seamless deployments together.

Github upgraded internal deployment system with merge queues and made it more robust and 33% faster. 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 ? Around 2016, engineers at GitHub were using a concept called "trains" to deploy their pull requests (code changes) in the internal deployment system. A train was a special pull request that grouped together multiple pull requests (𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬) that would be tested, deployed, and eventually merged at the same time. A user (called a 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫) was responsible for handling most aspects of the process, such as starting a deployment of the train and handling conflicts that arose. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐰𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 ? 1. With more developers joining the team, time from pull request to shipped code was steadily growing. 2. Trains could grow as large as 15 pull requests and often "derailed" due to a deployment issue, conflicts, or the need for an engineer to remove their change. 3. In some cases it took about 8 hours for developers to just join the train. 4. Trains were also not used on every repository, meaning the developer experience varied significantly between different services. 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡: To build a better system around 2020, GitHub implemented merge queues. 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐞 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐮𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬 ? They dynamically form groups of pull requests that are candidates for deployment, kicks off builds and tests via GitHub Actions, and ensures that main branch is never updated to a failing commit by enforcing branch protection rules. Pull requests in the queue that conflict with one another are automatically detected and removed, with the queue automatically re-forming groups as needed. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐞 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐮𝐞 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 ? 1. Compared to trains that were limited to 15 changes per train, merge queues could allow 30 or more pull requests to deploy. 2. Average wait time to ship has been reduced by 33%. 3. Improved developers experience greatly. It was very easy to join or leave the queue. Do checkout the article link for more details: https://lnkd.in/g9eFk276 #github  #deployment  #mergequeue  #trains  #developerexperience #devops #robust #pullrequest #versioncontrol #reducedwaittime

An interesting read on how GitHub itself organises their repository using SERVICEOWNERS. And guiding us in the direction of how they solve the problem of "who owns what" Do give it a read https://lnkd.in/drSrQDsJ #engineering #versioncontrol

Using a GitOps approach for managing deployments in your Kubernetes cluster can make it much simpler to handle deployments and also to track changes and manage drift. Clusters where people just deploy resources in an ad-hoc fashion tend to get messy quickly. GitOps is the approach where you use a source repo as the source of truth for your deployments and when you want to make changes you open a PR and when approved an operator in your cluster is listening and deploys the changes. With this approach you can also setup audit or gate controls which watch for changes outside the source repository. When these occur you can block them or revert them. Seeing practical examples of how to do things and the code involved always helps to reinforce what you read. In the article below Bora Köstem shows a good example of using ArgoCD, Helm, and Github Actions to deploy apps in a cluster. https://lnkd.in/euDCSJzf

🚀 Excited to share our latest Medium article: "Lock files used for dependency management have to be tracked in Git repositories !" 🚀 In this piece, we dive deep into the significance of lock files in software development, shedding light on a common oversight among even the most certified engineers. From Terraform's .terraform.lock.hcl to npm's package-lock.json, we explore how these files ensure consistency, enhance collaboration, and secure your projects against unexpected dependency changes. 🔒 Whether you're a seasoned developer or just starting out, understanding the role of lock files in dependency management is crucial. This article aims to bridge knowledge gaps and underscore the practices that distinguish mature developers from the rest. 💡 Dive in to discover how embracing lock files can elevate your development workflow, ensuring stability, security, and reliability across all your projects. Let's move beyond coding to building robust, dependable software together. 👉 Read the article now: https://lnkd.in/erJaVkWY #infraheads

Curious which CI/CD tool is right for you? Our latest blog post breaks down the differences between GitLab and GitHub. Get the insights you need to make an informed decision. 👉 https://lnkd.in/gqEbwH8X #github #gitlab #cicd

🚀 Unlock Git Mastery: How to Checkout or Clone a Git Repository from a Specific Commit ID (SHA)! 🧑💻 Ever been in a situation where you needed to dive into a specific version of your code? 🧐 That's where Git's commit IDs (SHA) come in! Instead of sifting through tons of updates, you can clone or checkout directly to the exact point you need. 🔍 Why would you need this?   Debugging an issue in a previous commit 🛠️   Reviewing specific features or changes 📈   Rolling back to a known good state in your project 🏗️ 💡 In this quick guide, you’ll learn:   How to checkout a specific commit using its SHA.   How to clone a repository at a specific commit without downloading the entire history.   Practical steps for real-world use cases. Mastering this will make your development process faster and more efficient. Save time, minimize errors, and work smarter! 💼 🔗 Read the full guide here: https://lnkd.in/gupnP9qT #Git #DevOps #SoftwareDevelopment #VersionControl #ProgrammingTips #Productivity 👩💻💬 Have you used this technique before? Share your experience in the comments!