Enhanced Pipelines: Fast, Reliable Workflow Auto-Deployment
AUG 05, 2024

AUG 05, 2024
Sounds like a dream, doesn’t it? Each deployment stage involves careful steps that consume valuable time and introduce the risk of human error and that is where the role of Automation comes into play! A lot of IT firms struggle with manual and unmanageable deployment workflow which affects their productivity. One such technology company approached us for a solution and we didn’t just solve their problem but left them amazed!
Our client, a fast-growing technology company, needed to optimize its deployment process, which was previously manual and time-consuming. So they approached us for our DevOps services. The goal was to streamline the process, reduce deployment times, and minimize human error.
The existing deployment process involved several manual steps:
Manually creating Repositories for each new deployment looked very unorganized and untidy and made it difficult to keep track of all the projects.
Manually created Sonarqube Projects for code quality checks lack default settings like quality profile, quality gates, and visibility settings.
Manually creating a Jenkins file for each new deployment was time-consuming as each Jenkins file is likely to have different structures, naming conventions, and logic.
Manually setting up Jenkins jobs required gathering dependencies, compiling, archiving, and testing code and that can be very tedious for a human, making Jenkins automated deployment a preferable alternative option.
Manually creating Groovy files to define environment variables involves a lot of steps like applying plugins, resolving dependencies, and using testing frameworks.
Manually creating buckets to store Groovy files requires composing names that comply with organizational rules, adding the files to the data folder, and uploading them.
Customizing setups based on the project’s programming language (React, Python, Node.js, Next.js) and repository type (monorepo or standalone).
This process was inefficient, prone to errors, and consumed valuable development time.
To automate the deployment process using reusable templates that:
a) Automatically create a gitlab repository with the necessary configurations and reduce errors.
b) Make the deployment consistent, easier to troubleshoot, and repeatable across all environments, and Set up SonarQube for code quality checks.
c) Configure Jenkins jobs with all required settings for smoother and more streamlined Jenkins automated deployment.
d) Allow customization based on the project’s language and repository type.
e) Simplify and streamline the CI/CD workflow.
Reusable templates are automated software deployment templates that have a list of predefined steps to be executed and can be reused again whenever you need to perform data migration, across multiple repositories or projects.
To solve our client’s problem, we developed an automated deployment pipeline using Jenkins, GitLab, AWS S3, Python, Ansible, and Bash which significantly reduced the setup time and minimized manual interventions.
Templates automatically create a new repository with predefined configurations.
Automatically sets up SonarQube for code quality checks.
Templates automatically create and configure Jenkins jobs for Jenkins automated deployment, including predefined settings and configurations.
Templates generate Groovy files for environment variables.
The system prompts for necessary project-specific details, allowing flexible and customized setups.
a) Develop templates for repository creation, SonarQube setup, and Jenkins job configuration.
b) Include prompts for project-specific details (language, repository type).
a) Modify Jenkins to use the new templates for job creation.
b) Ensure Jenkins jobs are configured with necessary environment variables using the generated Groovy files.
a) Use scripts to automate the setup of new repositories and SonarQube configurations.
b) Ensure all necessary files are created and stored correctly.
a) Test the templates with different project types to ensure correctness.
b) Validate the automated setup by deploying sample projects.
a) Document the new process for the client’s team.
b) Provide training sessions to ensure smooth adoption of the new system.
Jenkins is a software that facilitates continuous delivery automation of projects. It can easily be integrated with many testing and deployment platforms. It takes the modified source code, triggers a build, and runs tests.
Ansible is one of the powerful deployment automation tools used in Ansible software deployment that comes in handy for a systems administrator who can use it for deployments, server updation, cloud provisioning, and configuration management without needing agent software.
Gitlab offers features such as repository management, code review, issue tracking, and continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines. Its flexibility in GitLab automated deployment makes it a versatile choice for organizations of varying sizes and needs.
Versioning of S3 helps in keeping track of different versions of the Groovy scripts and enables rollback whenever required. Groovy files can be organized based on projects and their environments. It can also be used for storing build artifacts, such as JAR, WAR, or Docker images.
The versatility of Python helps in automating tasks such as web scraping, API interactions, and file handling. It can be used for writing test scripts for software applications, including unit tests, integration tests, and UI tests.
From simple file manipulation to complicated deployment processes, Bash scripts automate anything. They also assist in system maintenance and monitoring tasks such as monitoring disk space, and network usage and applying updates to maintain system security.
Docker’s role comes into play in simplifying maintenance and defining the requirements for build requirements as operating systems and programming runtimes. It offers a set of actions that you can use to create, annotate, and push container images.
As the competition in the market increases, so do the expectations of users for great quality and faultless products. Major firms take the feedback of users very seriously and aim for customer satisfaction. With deployment automation tools, developers can achieve errorless and faster code efficiency in the development and deployment phases without any revamps and repetitive iteration.
The development phase is split up into several stages which are dependent on each other and disturbances in even one stage can hamper the workflow of the rest of the stages. Handling such situations manually can make things worse. If we automate the deployment process, all stages can be implemented automatically and developers wouldn’t have to worry about these mishaps after arranging the framework. Hence, automating the deployment would significantly preserve your time and save you some manpower.
More human labor means more chances of errors! Developing an automated software deployment framework is a one-time investment and after that, the executions can simply flow without any errors. Human employees may skip a few steps, configure the software inaccurately, or prove to be less productive. However, continuous delivery automation can tirelessly follow the correct procedure and execute the deployment errorlessly within the timeline for the client.
The templates can easily be adapted for new projects, making the process scalable as the client grows. By offering a uniform set of procedures, new repositories can be swiftly implemented without having to start from scratch. Using reusable templates also makes way for the onboarding of new teams and projects.
The workflow can adapt to accommodate varying development practices, infrastructure setups, or client specifications without the need to reinvent the entire deployment framework. As a result, teams can maintain consistency in deployment practices while efficiently meeting diverse project demands.
Here is the diagram to illustrate the process:
By automating the entire process, we gave our client's team back precious hours in their day. This meant more time to innovate, experiment, and ultimately, deliver amazing projects. It was like removing a heavy weight from their shoulders. The result? A happier, more productive team and a product that hit the market faster than ever before.
So, there you have it! A smooth, automated deployment pipeline is no longer a pipe dream! We make it happen at Webelight Solutions. The secret ingredient? Our rigorously vetted DevOps team. Our DevOps engineers easily align with project objectives and have a deep proficiency in coding and scripting languages. They are excellent at locating, assessing, and combining a variety of open-source technologies and cloud services, as well as putting security measures in place to reduce hazards. It is due to their versatility and flexibility that we offer a wide range of cloud solutions such as DevOps Consulting, DevOps Automation, DevOps CI/CD Services, DevOps Support & Configuration, and many such DevOps services delivered efficiently, securely, and with the utmost precision.
Jr. DevOps Engineer
Himanshu is a problem-solver with a knack for making systems work seamlessly. He’s the guy who’s always diving into configurations and automations, ensuring everything runs smoothly without a hitch. When he’s not caught up in pipelines or scripts, you’ll likely find him exploring the latest DevOps trends or testing out tools that bring even a fraction of a second’s improvement.
Automating the software deployment process offers several significant advantages, including faster feedback, time savings, and improved scalability. With automation, you can eliminate human error, reduce manual intervention, and ensure consistency across deployments. This leads to faster, more efficient product delivery and increased team productivity.