Many development teams have this exact practical problem, that is, the time it takes from submitting the code to deploying it online is really too long. At this moment, an efficient and automated tool chain has become the key to shortening this cycle and improving delivery quality.
The core value of automated deployment
In the traditional software release process, it often takes days or even weeks from code submission to final release. This long waiting period is not entirely focused on actual construction and testing. A lot of time is spent on environment preparation, manual approval, department coordination and many other aspects. Such delays have a direct impact on business response speed and become an obvious bottleneck for the technical team to improve efficiency.
After investigation, it was discovered that the crux of the delay was a fragmented process. Different tools are used in different links, which prevents seamless flow of information, resulting in a lot of manual operations and waiting situations. Therefore, the core value of building an automated platform that can connect the entire process from code management to production deployment is to eliminate these "blank waiting times" and achieve fast and stable delivery in the true sense.
Concatenating fragmented workflows
The requirement is that for an automated system with ideal properties, the different links in the release process should be organically and smoothly connected together. This involves source code control in the pre-production environment, construction, deployment and testing, and includes the final advancement to the production environment. The output and status of each link can automatically trigger the next link.
With such connections, previously isolated steps are integrated into a smooth, frictionless pipeline. For example, once the code is merged into a specific branch, the system can automatically trigger a build. After the build is successful, it is immediately deployed to the test environment and runs the automated test suite. This kind of automation from one end to the other is the technical foundation for reducing manual intervention and compressing the delivery cycle.
Quality gains beyond speed
Although faster delivery speed is the main driving force of automation tools, the quality improvement it brings cannot be ignored. By ensuring that every code change goes through a set of standardized and insurmountable quality levels, problems can be discovered and fixed earlier in the development period.
Such mandatory quality gates directly improve the quality of the final released version. As a result, the team has reduced the number of emergency rollbacks caused by defective code flowing into the production environment. Data shows that teams that adopt strict automated assembly lines have significantly reduced the accident rate in their production environments and enhanced system stability.
Compatible with existing tool ecosystem
When an enterprise builds an automated process, there usually already is an established set of tools, which may include open source tools or commercial software. An excellent automation platform should not require companies to "reinvent it", but should have strong integration capabilities that allow teams to continue to use familiar tools.
The platform should provide a wealth of built-in integration options and open APIs for partners or users to expand on their own. This means that the team can connect the existing source code library to the new automated workflow, the build server can also be connected to the new automated workflow, the test framework can be connected to the new automated workflow, and the deployment tool can be connected to the new automated workflow. While experiencing the convenience of automation, existing technology investments are guaranteed.
Deployment examples from concept to practice
Taking the deployment of a simple script as an example, the practical process is extremely intuitive. The user first creates a deployment group on a given platform, for example, specifying three EC2 instances as the deployment target. Next, it is necessary to define how the code is built; for scripts that do not need to be compiled, the building step can be skipped directly.
The next step is to arrange for testing in the pre-release environment. The key advantage of the platform is reflected in the response to changes, that is, when a new version is uploaded to the source code warehouse such as an S3 bucket, the entire pipeline will be automatically triggered to run. Moreover, users can set manual approval nodes in the process, pause the pipeline at critical stages, and wait until there are no errors before continuing to move forward.
Build a complete CI/CD pipeline
To ensure quality, a testing period should be included in the early stage of deployment to the production scenario. Users can configure test steps in the pipeline and connect to the corresponding test service provider. These connection behaviors are usually completed on the test service provider interface, and mutual data flow is achieved through authorization.
An active CI/CD pipeline shows that it is continuously creating value for the business. Generally speaking, we consider a pipeline to be an "active pipeline" if at least one code change has been released through it during a month. This shows that automation is not a one-time experiment, but has been integrated into the team's daily development rhythm, and has become the core infrastructure that can support continuous delivery.
In your team's current software delivery process, which link has the largest number of manual operations and is most likely to become a breakthrough point for automation acceleration? Feel free to share your observations in the comment area.
