Navigating the Deployment Maze: My Journey to Pushing to Production
As I settle into my new role, I’m approaching the nine-month mark with excitement and fulfillment at my current workplace. Recently, I’ve been entrusted with the responsibility of overseeing deployments—a significant step in my professional journey. However, I can’t help but notice that the entire deployment process feels a bit cumbersome to me.
While I won’t delve into every detail, I want to share an overview of what the deployment entails. In total, there are approximately 24 steps to get code merged and repositories updated, build Docker images, and then update communications on Slack and release notes, before even reaching the staging environment. Following that, there are around 15 additional steps necessary to script the transfer of those builds to production. With six distinct environments designated for various clients, a number of those latter steps have to be executed for each individual setup.
Is it just me, or does this feel excessive? My previous experience involved simpler projects where reaching production was as straightforward as selecting the desired server and pressing a big green button.
Step-by-Step Breakdown
To provide some clarity on my current process, let’s look at the steps required to transition code into the staging environment:
Staging Steps
- Announce in the Slack channel that a release is commencing.
- Merge in the necessary commits, ensuring the format is correct and writing a new commit message.
- Share a link to the branch in Slack.
- Update the master branch and check the Git log to verify all commits are accounted for.
- Create a new branch following the format:
release/<release-number>. - Execute a script that updates version references for the next release.
- Push the new branch to Git.
- Push any relevant tags.
- Switch to a secondary deployment local installation of the app.
- Clean up unused files from the repository using
git clean -fd. - Fetch the latest changes.
- Check out the new release branch.
- Execute a script to refresh the Docker image.
- Update the release notes on the wiki with the current date, ticket references, and pull request references.
- Update the Slack link to reflect the new documentation with an emoji indicator.
- Create a new pull request from the release branch to the master branch.
- Switch to the master branch.
- Review the Git log to ensure all files are current; run a pull if needed.
- Execute the version update script again.
- Return to the original installation directory.
- Merge the master branch into any necessary branches (currently three) and resolve conflicts at each stage.
- Switch back to the deployment installation.
- Fetch the latest updates.
- Check out the modified branches from the previous step.
- Run the version update script on each of them to refresh Docker images.
Production Deployment Steps
Transitioning code into production involves a separate set of actions:
1. Open a different deployment repository.
2. Update image versions within the Helm chart.
3. Commit and push the changes.
4. Use SSH to access the server.
5. Execute a script to switch to the appropriate context.
6. Pull the latest code.
7. Verify that the Helm values are accurate.
8. Run the script to deploy the application.
9. Manually execute database migrations if necessary.
10. Update the status of related tickets.
Wrapping Up
This deployment methodology may seem intricate to me, especially coming from a background of more straightforward processes, but I’m beginning to understand the importance of each step in maintaining quality and reliability. As I continue to navigate this deployment maze, I appreciate the learning opportunities and am eager to make this process more efficient in the future.
What’s your deployment process like? Do you also feel overwhelmed by a lengthy checklist, or do you have streamlined methods that make life easier? Let’s share our experiences and insights in the comments below!
2 responses to “What does your “push to prod” look like?”
It sounds like you’ve taken on a substantial responsibility with your deployments, and it’s natural to feel overwhelmed when faced with such a lengthy process. Your experience reflects a common scenario in many software development environments, particularly with complex systems that require rigorous oversight and coordination. To answer your question about what a “push to prod” looks like, it’s essential to recognize that deployment processes can vary significantly based on several factors, including team size, project complexity, and the tools at your disposal. Here are some insights and practical advice that may help streamline your approach.
Balancing Rigorous Processes with Efficiency
While having a detailed, step-by-step deployment process is crucial for accountability and quality assurance, the lengthy nature of your current procedure could become a bottleneck, especially for frequent releases. Here are a few tips to simplify and speed up your deployment process:
Automate with CI/CD: Consider implementing Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) tools like Jenkins, GitLab CI, or GitHub Actions. These tools can automate many of the repetitive steps you’re currently doing manually, such as merging branches, running tests, and building docker images. Automating your deployment pipeline can drastically reduce human error and speed up the process, often condensing your 24+ steps into a few key actions.
Use Feature Toggles: Instead of a heavyweight branching strategy, you might want to explore feature toggles. This allows you to deploy code that isn’t fully ready yet; you can “toggle” the feature on or off without requiring a complete redeployment. This can help reduce the complexity of your deployment steps and provide more flexibility.
Standardize Environments: With multiple environments for different clients, maintaining consistency can be challenging. Using containerization effectively can help standardize your environments. Ensure that each environment uses the same configuration and dependencies, which can minimize the deployment steps and reduce troubleshooting after code is deployed.
Documentation and Quick Reference Guides: Creating concise documentation or quick reference guides for your deployment processes can significantly reduce complexity. This is particularly useful during team handoffs or when onboarding new team members. A clear cheat sheet that outlines critical steps can help streamline execution and reduce the likelihood of missing vital tasks.
Feedback Loops: After each deployment, gather feedback from your team on what went well and what didn’t. Regular retrospectives focused on your deployment process can unearth inefficiencies and areas for improvement you might not have considered.
Simplify the Merge Process: If squashing commits is time-consuming, see if your team can adopt a simplified approach to how commits are merged. Discuss the standards for commit messages ahead of time, and perhaps agree to a convention that can save you time during the squashing process.
Example of a Streamlined Deployment Process:
Here’s a simplified, conceptual workflow that could replace or augment your current process:
Conclusion
Your transition into deployment roles is commendable and a critical part of your growth in the development field. While your current process is detailed, there are numerous ways to streamline and improve upon it. By leveraging automation, standardization, and continuous feedback, you can decrease the deployment burden while maintaining a high standard of quality. Remember, improvement is a continuous journey; take it step-by-step, and you’ll only get better with experience!
Your journey through the deployment process really resonates with many of us who have faced similar complexities in our workflows. The intricate steps you’ve laid out highlight an important aspect of software development: the balance between thoroughness and efficiency.
One thing to consider, as you progress in refining your process, is the potential for automation. Tools like CI/CD (Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment) pipelines can significantly streamline what feels like an overwhelming checklist. By automating repetitive steps—like merging branches, updating version references, and even deploying to staging and production—teams can reduce human error and save time. Many organizations successfully integrate tools like Jenkins, GitLab CI/CD, or GitHub Actions to manage these processes more effectively.
Additionally, maintaining robust documentation and utilizing templates for repetitive tasks can help foster clarity and provide a reference point for your team, especially as more members join the deployment effort. It’s also wise to regularly gather feedback from the team to identify any pain points and explore iterative enhancements.
Ultimately, while a comprehensive deployment process may feel cumbersome, embracing automation and continuous improvement can transform this maze into a more navigable path. I’d love to hear how others have approached these challenges or any tools you’ve found particularly helpful in streamlining your deployment processes!