Use case
Optimizing CI with Docker Buildx for
Faster Deployment
- Dhruv Bardolia
About the Customer
CyvexTech is a platform dedicated to protecting the software supply chain. It provides code assurance, tamper-proof evidence documentation, exceptional visibility, anomaly detection, seamless operation, and other critical services. CyvexTech ensures the security of code artifacts across the entire software lifecycle, from production to delivery, utilizing cutting-edge frameworks to deliver uncompromising security.
Customer Challenge
CyvexTech’s Docker build process was inefficient, leading to delays in the deployment of microservices on their EKS cluster. Traditional Docker builds lacked effective caching mechanisms, which resulted in unnecessary rebuilds of unchanged layers, consuming time and resources. This problem was compounded by the need for faster builds and deployments to support CyvexTech’s continuous integration and deployment (CI/CD) processes.
The primary challenges faced included:
- Long Build Times: The Docker builds were slow, delaying deployment cycles.
- Inefficient Caching: Due to the absence of a proper caching mechanism, unchanged layers were rebuilt, wasting valuable time and compute resources.
If left unaddressed, these inefficiencies would have impacted CyvexTech’s ability to deliver new features and fixes in a timely manner, reducing overall productivity and increasing operational costs.
Solution
IAMOPS integrated Docker Buildx into CyvexTech’s GitHub Actions CI/CD workflow. Docker Buildx enabled more efficient multi-platform builds, supporting advanced caching strategies that significantly reduced build times.
The solution involved:
- Integrating Docker Buildx: Docker Buildx was added to the existing GitHub Actions pipeline to optimize Docker builds by leveraging effective caching techniques.
- Caching Optimization: By utilizing Docker Buildx’s caching mechanisms, IAMOPS ensured that only modified layers were rebuilt, drastically cutting down build times.
- GitHub Actions Workflow: Automated CI/CD processes were implemented using GitHub Actions, streamlining builds, testing, and deployment, while maintaining security with GitHub Secrets for managing sensitive information.
Semantic Release Workflow
Results & Benefits
The integration of Docker Buildx delivered several measurable outcomes:
- Reduced Build Times: Docker image build times were cut by up to 50%, significantly accelerating the deployment pipeline.
- Cost Efficiency: GitHub Action minutes decreased by around 50%, reducing operational costs associated with CI/CD operations.
- Improved Time to Market: Faster build and deployment processes enabled quicker promotion of builds from staging to production, reducing time to market for new features and bug fixes.
- Enhanced Security and Reliability: The consistent build practices and use of GitHub Secrets improved the reliability and security of deployments.
About IAMOPS
IAMOPS is a full DevOps suite company that supports technology companies to achieve intense production readiness.
Our mission is to ensure that our clients’ infrastructure and CI/CD pipelines are scalable, mitigate failure points, optimize performance, ensure uptime, and minimize costs.
Our DevOps suite includes DevOps Core, NOC 24/7, FinOps, QA Automation, and DevSecOps to accelerate overall exponential growth.
As an AWS Advanced Tier Partner and Reseller, we focus on two key pillars: Professionalism by adhering to best practices and utilizing advanced technologies, and Customer Experience with responsiveness, availability, clear project management, and transparency to provide an exceptional experience for our clients.