Creating a build that is automated, self-testing, and fast is crucial in today’s fast-paced agile software development environment. In this context, we’ll explore how to achieve this, aiding individuals preparing for the Advanced Certified Scrum Developer (A-CSD) exam
Automation
Automation is essentially replacing manual processes with intelligent programmatic routines. In software build processes, automation is made possible through Continuous Integration (CI) tools such as Jenkins, Travis CI, CircleCI among others.
Continuous integration implements a system where developers frequently merge code changes into a central repository. Each integration is then automatically built and tested.
Example: Utilizing Jenkins’ Pipeline for CI.
- Install Jenkins.
- Create a Jenkinsfile in your code repository. This file describes your pipeline.
Consider a Java application with a basic pipeline on Jenkins:
pipeline {
agent any
stages {
stage('Build') {
steps {
echo 'Building...'
sh './gradlew build'
}
}
}
}
This simple pipeline builds your application whenever changes are pushed to the repository.
Self-testing
A self-testing build essentially contains tests that ensure that any modification has not broken the existing functionalities. These tests can be unit tests, integration tests, functional tests, etc.
Example: Using JUnit for testing a Java application.
After setting up JUnit in your project, write tests. Now, you modify your Jenkinsfile as follows:
pipeline {
agent any
stages {
stage('Build') {
steps {
echo 'Building...'
sh './gradlew build'
}
}
stage('Test') {
steps {
echo 'Testing...'
sh './gradlew test'
}
}
}
}
After building the application, the tests run. If all the tests pass, the changes are confirmed not to have broken any existing functionality.
Speed
The build should be performed quickly. This rapid feedback allows for a quicker identification and resolution of potential problems. The methods to improve speed include running tests concurrently and optimizing the build process.
For example, in the previous steps, we can use Jenkins pipeline parallel steps to run tests concurrently.
pipeline {
agent any
stages {
stage('Parallel Stage') {
parallel {
stage('Unit Test') {
steps {
echo 'Running Unit Test...'
sh './gradlew test'
}
}
stage('Integration Test') {
steps {
echo 'Running Integration Test...'
sh './gradlew integrationTest'
}
}
}
}
}
}
In this pipeline, the unit tests and integration tests run concurrently, reducing the total time.
Fast, self-testing, and automated builds can significantly improve a team’s productivity and software quality. These practises are valuable not just for those preparing for A-CSD, but all software developers focusing on delivering impactful software solutions.
Practice Test
True or False: Automated builds are not critical to achieving Continuous Integration.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: Automated builds are crucial to achieving Continuous Integration as they enable the code to be put together and tested automatically, allowing quick feedback.
In Continuous Integration, a self-testing build means:
- A) The build is manual
- B) The entire system is compiled and tested with every commit
- C) The system tests itself autonomously
- D) The system proposes test cases itself
Answer: B) The entire system is compiled and tested with every commit
Explanation: A self-testing build, in the context of Continuous Integration, is one where the full system is compiled and tested with every code commit, highlighting any errors caused by the latest changes.
True or False: Faster build times can slow down a team’s efficiency and productivity.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: Faster build times increase a team’s efficiency and productivity since issues are detected and fixed promptly, resulting in less wasted time and rework.
Which of the following is not a benefit of creating a build that is automated, self-testing, and fast?
- A) Manual testing is completely discarded
- B) Increase in efficiency
- C) Quick feedback
- D) Less Error-Prone
Answer: A) Manual testing is completely discarded
Explanation: While an automated, self-testing and fast build does reduce the need for manual testing, it doesn’t completely discard it. Manual testing still plays a role in areas like usability testing.
True or False: An important part of a fast build process is having a single code repository.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: Having a single code repository is critical to a fast build process as it allows all developers to integrate their changes into a centralised place, enabling smoother and faster builds.
Continuous Integration (CI) is:
- A) A practice of merging all developer working copies to a shared mainline several times a day.
- B) A practice of dividing tasks among team members considering their specialties
- C) A process of manual code integration
- D) A tool used for automated testing
Answer: A) A practice of merging all developer working copies to a shared mainline several times a day.
Explanation: Continuous Integration is a practice that involves frequent commits to a single, main repository. This helps to detect errors early and reduce integration problems.
Automated builds help in:
- A) Identifying integration bugs early
- B) Increasing collaboration in a team
- C) Providing customer feedback
- D) None of the above
Answer: A) Identifying integration bugs early
Explanation: Automated builds help in identifying integration bugs early and therefore reducing integration problems.
A self-testing build involves:
- A) Automated unit tests
- B) Manual functional tests
- C) Automated integration tests
- D) All of the above
Answer: D) All of the above
Explanation: A self-testing build involves automated unit tests, automated integration tests and may also involve manual functional tests.
Slow build times have a negative impact on:
- A) Team morale
- B) Code quality
- C) Feedback cycle
- D) All of the above
Answer: D) All of the above
Explanation: Slow build times can impact team morale (as they have to wait for the results), code quality (as it might discourage developers from checking in frequently), and the feedback cycle (as feedback won’t be as quick).
True or False: A well-defined build process doesn’t require build fails to be treated as a priority.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: A well-defined build process treats build fails as a priority. If a build fails, it has to be a team’s top priority to get the build passing again. This ensures that issues are fixed promptly.
Interview Questions
What is automated build in software development?
Automated build in software development is the practice of scripting and automating the process to compile, integrate, test, and sometimes deploy source code into a run-time environment. It can include other tasks like code inspection, database integration, and documentation or release note generation.
What is the purpose of self-testing in an automated build?
Self-testing in an automated build ensures that new changes don’t break the functionality of the existing system. It includes automated unit tests that get run every time the build is conducted and alert the developers if anything is broken.
Why is speed important for an automated build?
Speed is important for an automated build because it results in faster feedback. The sooner a developer gets feedback on their changes, the sooner they can correct any errors and the cheaper those corrections will be.
What is continuous integration in terms of automated build?
Continuous integration is a practice where developers regularly merge their code changes into a central repository. After each merge, an automated build and test process runs to detect any integration errors as quickly as possible.
What role does a version control system play in automated builds?
A version control system is integral to automated builds as it allows multiple developers to work on the same codebase simultaneously. The version control system contains the definitive source code which an automated build process can pull from and build.
What tools are commonly used to create an automated build?
Tools that are commonly used to create an automated build include Jenkins, Travis CI, CircleCI, Bamboo and GitLab CI. They help automate the process of building, testing, and deploying applications.
How can automated builds help enhance the quality of a software product?
Automated builds enhance software quality by catching bugs early in the development process. Since they run tests on the source code frequently, they help teams spot and fix issues faster.
What is a build pipeline in the context of an automated build?
A build pipeline refers to the sequence of actions that are executed automatically to get a new version of an application. It usually involves fetching the latest code from a repository, compiling it, running tests on it, and deploying it to a staging or production environment.
Why is incremental build beneficial over clean build for fast automated builds?
Incremental builds are faster than clean builds because they only compile and test the parts of the codebase that have changed, rather than the entire codebase. This speeds up the feedback cycle for developers.
What is meant by build artifacts in an automated build setup?
Build artifacts are the outputs of a build process, such as compiled binaries, test results, or deployment packages. They can be stored and reused in subsequent stages of the pipeline, or for troubleshooting if a build fails.
How does self-testing contribute to the stability of an application in an automated build?
Self-testing ensures that the application is always in a releasable state. It allows developers to catch and fix bugs early, reducing the overall risk of instability in the final product.
What is the role of a build tool in creating an automated, self-testing, and fast build?
A build tool automates the process of compiling source code into binary code, testing it, packing it and moving it to the proper place. It’s necessary for creating an efficient, reliable, and fast build process.
What is a smoke test in the context of automated builds?
A smoke test is a set of basic tests run after every build to ensure the fundamental features of the application are working as expected. It serves as an early warning system for serious issues in the build.
Can you explain the relationship between automated builds and DevOps?
Automated builds are a core practice in DevOps. They enable continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD), making it possible to release software more frequently and with fewer errors. This supports the DevOps goals of higher release velocity and improved software quality.
What are the strategies to make an automated build fast?
Strategies to make an automated build fast include incremental builds, parallelizing tests, overhauling heavy tests, and using build caching. Reducing the complexity of the codebase can also improve build times.
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