Why your continuous integration

and delivery practices need a

next-generation CDN WHITE PAPER

Introduction In today’s highly competitive business environment, organizations are under

constant pressure to innovate. Whether it’s pushing out new features or
supporting rapid content releases, there is a growing demand to be able to
iterate more rapidly.
To meet this demand, most engineering organizations have already adopted
processes like Agile and Waterfall. Yet, these processes fail to address all
development bottlenecks. That’s why more organizations are starting to
embrace a new process — continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD).
In this brief we will examine the key elements of CI/CD. We will consider
the benefits and challenges of this new approach, from both a technical and
cultural perspective. We will also explore how your content delivery network
(CDN) can be a critical part of your CI/CD process, and why it’s important
to look for a next-generation CDN that can complement your software
development efforts.

Continuous integration Older development methods rely on daily, weekly, or monthly integration
following completion benchmarks. While these methods seem straightforward
and delivery and the
for scheduling purposes, they can result in unnecessary complexity and
role of your CDN unpredictability when it comes time to push new code.
By contrast, continuous integration is seen by many as a natural evolution
of the integration process. CI merges source control and frequent commit
practices with automated builds and testing. This allows for high-velocity
development while maintaining control and visibility by setting clear procedures
for source access and regular updates. Continuous delivery is the automated
publication of that code to the production environment.
To be successful, CI/CD should automate workflows across your entire
development stack. Ideally all third-party vendors should offer capabilities
that create a seamless extension of your development environment. This
is especially true of your CDN provider. Given where it sits between your
platform and your end users, it’s critical to choose a CDN that can complement
rather than impair your CI/CD efforts.

The elements of At its heart, continuous integration consists of three elements: source code
management, commit cycle discipline, and build automation. With these
continuous integration
simple practices, multi-origin changes can easily be incorporated into stable
builds, with fewer bugs and minimized developer time. CI eliminates the risk
of an end-cycle integration tangle, protecting your deployment timetable.

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Source code The source repository forms the core of continuous integration. The development
process involves a lot of moving parts, and complexity scales with team size
management – and project duration. By concentrating on a single repository, you avoid potential
everything but the code divergence and the associated frustration.
build, in a single, easy Continuous integration relies on a transparent and easily accessible repository,
to access system which in turn requires a properly configured source code management (SCM)
tool. SCM systems provide a stable and comprehensive platform for project
development. They expedite version control, manage file access, and naturally
store all vital project files, which includes the operative code and all the
associated scripts, libraries, databases, and integrated development environment
(IDE) configurations. With an SCM, the development team has a common
resource for all necessary files. Some popular CI and SCM tools include:
●• Jenkins (Java CI tool) – Jenkins is a server-based, cross-platform CI tool with
broad plug-in support for a variety of builds and databases. Jenkins offers
a wide range of build options, and is available for use under MIT’s free
software license.
•● CircleCI (commercial CI tool) – CircleCI is a relative newcomer to the CI market,
and has attracted several high-profile clients with its reputation for speed and
ease of use.
●• Travis CI (Git-focused CI tool) – Primarily intended for use with Git projects,
Travis CI is a hosted service for CI implementation. Travis is notable for its
advanced testing capabilities and diverse language support.
• Git (open source SCM) – A popular option for development, Git is a free and
open source SCM with a variety of configurations. Git excels in distribution,
code review, and technical performance, and has excellent tools for managing
multiple workflows. For first time users, the complexity of Git’s options can be
a barrier, but there is a wealth of documentation available.
Whatever you choose, it’s important to automate the flow of code from your
SCM tool to your CDN and vice versa. Without a tight integration, companies
risk slower and less reliable development cycles due to manual processes and
human error.

The commit Even the best SCM system is worthless if it isn’t being used. Continuous integra-
tion needs the active participation of the development team. If developers are
cycle – quality from
working in isolation, or not frequently committing their (build-tested) code to the
consistency repository, the result is a messy integration process and unnecessary errors.
A disciplined commit process surfaces errors and conflicts immediately, and
minimizes redundant or non-viable work. Frequent commits also encourage
productive coding behavior, helping developers divide up their work into
meaningful elements. By pursuing concrete objectives, teams gain a sense of
accomplishment, and deliver more cohesive code. Modern CDNs makes it
easy for developers to commit their code multiple times a day, with real-time
visibility and instant invalidation.

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Automation and The true benefits of continuous integration rely on smart automation and testing.
As your developers access the repository and introduce new code into the
testing – better builds source, they must navigate dozens or even hundreds of procedural elements:
by design loading database schemas, applying naming formats, changing file locations,
compiling files, checking dependencies, and more.
These actions are essential for a cohesive system, but are needlessly repetitive
and often lead to human error. Nearly all of these build procedures can use
automated environments and basic script tools. With automation, you can cut any
busywork from the CI process and enjoy a more streamlined development cycle.
The network edge presents huge opportunities for automated testing. Look for
a CDN that can push network logic to the edge, so you can automatically pass
validated configuration settings from development environment to production
without human intervention. Due to the frequent commits required by CI,
self-testing code can catch preliminary errors before they become integrated.
By adopting these advanced screening techniques, the overall build pattern
becomes more agile and robust.

A step beyond – Leading, innovative companies take the CI model a step further, following a
practice known as continuous delivery (CD). CD emphasizes not just integrated
continuous delivery for
code, but release-ready code, at every iteration. Use of this process attempts to
push-button release erase the line between development and production by focusing on the ability
to constantly deploy.
The benefits of CD center around the constant availability of a finished product.
The production-like environment promotes calculated risk management, as any
errors can be quickly identified and isolated thanks to structured releases.
Most importantly, CD incorporates the end user directly into the development
cycle. While rigorous testing in development will likely catch most errors, active
and passive user feedback is crucial for identifying production-level issues.
Any bugs can be resolved immediately so end-user experience doesn’t suffer.
Real-time analysis and configuration options are essential for achieving the
benefits of a CD platform. Successful use relies on absolute version control,
which is impossible without instant configuration changes and effective rollback
capacity. And the value of user information stems from the ability to monitor
and analyze data in real time. Deep control and configuration agility give your
company a platform for quick response.
While this set of practices has yet to gain widespread adoption, CD highlights
the potential of automation and immediate feedback for continuous, incremental
improvement.

The benefits of To this point we’ve addressed CI/CD, but equally important is why it matters.
By adopting this methodology, a company can gain a wide array of benefits,
continuous integration
some immediately obvious, some revealed over time. Here are a few of the
and delivery principal reasons why CI/CD is worth the effort.
Single platform management – As touched on above, by centralizing project
resources within a single source, companies can more efficiently manage their IP.

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 Multi-platform operations inevitably result in unnecessary redundancy and
wasted work. With a single platform, errors can quickly be revealed and fixed,
updates can be deployed system-wide, and developers can easily monitor
project metrics.
End-user empowerment – Beyond the obvious advantage of fewer error
messages, end-users benefit from a more interactive production. For software
with update schedules, continuous integration means fewer delays, and
more efficient distribution. And with user feedback in hand, developers are able
to regularly incorporate change requests to meet market demands.
Optimized development cycles - Code that is quantifiable is optimizable.
By breaking projects into segments based on an update schedule, CI/CD
facilitates better organized development and production environments.
Progress can be measured, errors can be addressed immediately, and
workflow becomes more stable.
Agile in action – Integration barriers disrupt delivery, throwing a wrench into
your company’s business. CI/CD allows product to keep pace with engineering
innovation. Restrictive release windows can suffocate responsive business
practices, whereas CI/CD keeps your development cycles in sync. Additionally,
SCM easily allows for widespread collaboration, and ensures all parties are on
the same page.
Risk mitigation – Newcomers to CI/CD are often daunted by the potential error
risk they see in frequent code integration. However, CI/CD actually helps
remove the errors predominant in traditional integration methods. By consistently
and regularly integrating code within a common source, any errors that crop
up can be immediately isolated and fixed. CI’s self-testing, automation, and
frequent evaluations keep code clean and coherent, while CD ensures that
your end users always have the most up-to-date software.

The challenges of Given that continuous integration and delivery represents a shift in development
methodology, there are some challenges inherent to its execution. However,
continuous integration
these issues are largely tied to workplace culture and less related to technology.
and delivery The four biggest hurdles to CI/CD implementation are:
Initial developer hesitance – After performing a task a hundred times, there
is always some resistance to change, no matter how beneficial. Developers
accustomed to older integration strategies may be reluctant to abandon
previous approaches. CI/CD practices are easy to adopt once the source
backbone is in play, and the time-saving benefits quickly become apparent
and very persuasive.
Commit discipline – Once CI/CD practices have been implemented, their
effectiveness relies on consistent application. If developers abandon the
frequent commit procedure, or skip testing, projects can revert to confusion.
By heavily incorporating automation, the process can be made much easier
for participants, and CI/CD quickly becomes a valuable habit.
Black box vendors – While many of the most popular options for continuous
integration systems are open source, some traditional vendors are less
transparent. Be sure to select vendors and software that is transparent and
accessible, or you might find your newly vital system is outside your control.

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 The ability to instantly modify the configuration of any third-party vendor in
the CI/CD workflow is also critical, and the use of such vendors extend the
resources available to your developers.
End-user experience – When CI/CD systems are poorly designed or inefficient,
the end-user suffers. Previous models were hampered by system traffic and
delays. By extending CI/CD to a modern CDN with real-time configuration
changes, you can ensure your users have clear and consistent access that won’t
be disrupted.

One obsolete There is an outdated belief that a tradeoff must exist between user performance
and real-time control, but this is no longer true. With traditional, black-box
challenge – the
CDNs, CI/CD suffers from configuration delays, unpublished release queues,
CDN tradeoff and non-purgeable content. This issue has been resolved in next-generation
CDNs, which offer customers granular control, instant invalidation, and real-time
visibility of their content at the edge.

Choosing a CDN for When considering CDNs for CI/CD, it’s vital to consider details beyond dollars
per gb/s. The CI/CD development cycle depends on a CDN with control and
continuous integration
configurability in order to properly mesh with your workflow. A CDN shouldn’t
and delivery be a barrier to DevOps teams, but rather so responsive, configurable, and
automated that it naturally becomes part of the development environment.
Here are four factors to look for in a CI/CD-ready CDN:
●• ‘API first’ approach – The biggest gains from CI/CD implementation can come
from the ability to execute changes without human intervention. Your CDN
should offer a robust and flexible platform for autonomous customization,
without sacrificing performance.
•● Granular control and real-time visibility – Next-generation CDNs are a natural
extension of your development environment. These systems rely on responsive
monitoring and in-depth control.
•● Seamless version control – To support CI/CD at the edge, you need to make
adjustments instantly. Make sure your CDN supports configuration changes
and rollbacks in mere seconds, or you could be caught waiting indefinitely.
●• Proven platform with CI/CD customer use cases – Look for examples of
other innovative companies that are extending CI/CD to the edge with their
CDN. Examples may include scripts written by CDN vendors or their customers
that help to streamline and automate workflow.

Conclusion Continuous integration and delivery gives your company the flexibility to meet
the increasing pressure to innovate. It eliminates the old integration roadblock
and helps you accelerate your development cycle. Instead of wasting time and
money on conflicting code, you can focus on a direct path for your products.
CI/CD provides a reliable and responsive methodology that cuts risk and results
in better code.

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 To realize these benefits, you need a CDN that fits your workflow. When it
comes to CI/CD, Fastly does what traditional CDNs can’t. By providing a
powerful platform that works with your current systems, and control over
the details that matter, Fastly lets you embrace CI/CD without the wait.

More information For more information on how Fastly can facilitate your continuous integration
and delivery efforts, please contact sales@fastly.com.

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