5 posts tagged with "ci/cd"

The software development landscape is a nebulous. On one front, developers strive to craft innovative features at breakneck speed before requirements change. On another, security threats loom, constantly evolving to exploit vulnerabilities. In this environment, a robust and secure build process is no longer a luxury, it's a necessity as software supply chain attacks become more sophisticated.

This guide introduces the high-level designing a native C or C++ build process that prioritizes both speed and security.

Distributing the Build Work​

Imagine a factory with multiple assembly lines, each focused on a specific part of the product. This parallel approach increases efficiency and speeds up production. Similarly, in a build process, distributing work of various modules across multiple machines creates parallel build pipelines, leading to faster builds and improved scalability. This can be achieved through various means:

Have you ever stared longingly at that time-consuming progress bar, willing your C++ project to compile faster? If you're nodding along, you're not alone. The ISO's annual "lite" developer survey consistently reveals that over 60% of respondents consider long build times a major pain point, with little improvement year over year.

Thankfully, there's an old solution: distributing the build burden across multiple machines. This approach can dramatically slash those wait times (either way you go) and free you to focus on what matters - writing great code. This blog post will explore two prominent distribution techniques and how they've evolved: distributing compilation units and distributing targets. But here's the secret sauce: a target-based approach, the current best practice, can not only accelerate builds but also lead you to design cleaner and more maintainable build pipelines. Let's dive in!

It's that time of year once again! The ISO Committee published the summary of the results for the C++ Developer Survey "Lite". This has been running for several years and it's probably the first time we can start to see some trends... hopefully!

The survey results, with less than 1300 developers compared to 1700 last year, is only partially explained by third-party restrictions as noted by the blog post sharing the results. Regardless a wider sample would be ideal. The dominance of CMake with an 83% market share is striking. Could this 4% growth be linked to the lower burden for managing build scripts? Despite these limitations, the survey offers valuable insights into C++ ecosystem trends.

Since this blog is all about building and shipping C++ software, I'll be focusing on the tooling and ecosystem questions and results. There's a natural bias here, as I'm particularly interested in how these trends affect developers like us. But fear not, there's plenty for everyone! In fact, I'm curious what aspects other bloggers will delve into. Let's jump right in as there are some fascinating statistical correlations to explore!

C++ developers often approach DevOps with a reasonable degree of skepticism, and it's not without reason. Their top five challenges revolve around build scripts, dependency management, and setting up CI pipelines—areas traditionally associated with DevOps responsibilities. Michael Xymitoulias articulated this sentiment well in a recent LinkedIn post writing:

Right now, it feels that C++ developers have to deal with way more than just writing business logic code. [...] Allowing devs to focus more on coding rather than trying to solve problems of the ecosystem would probably be liberating

Xymitoulias suggestion that allowing developers to focus more on coding, rather than grappling with ecosystem problems, would be liberating. He's not alone, Bill Hoffman, CTO behind CMake supports this ideal of simplifying the developer workflows, something we've seen put in place with recent improvements to the popular build system.

While building in C++ certainly comes with its challenges, streamlining this process is our collective goal. So, let's delve into the core focus as it relates to C++ and dispel some common misconceptions.

In the ever-evolving landscape of software development, the transformative influence of DevOps cannot be overstated. It has reshaped how teams collaborate, develop, build, test, and ultimately deliver applications. DevOps is more than a mere collection of practices or tools; it embodies a cultural shift, fostering collaboration and communication among software developers, QA professionals, and IT operations.

Today, we navigate the intricate landscape of C++, delving into how the DevOps approach aligns seamlessly with both historical and contemporary roles within the ecosystem. It becomes apparent that DevOps best practices hold the key to unlocking solutions for some of the most prevalent challenges faced by C++ developers.