We include a built in package repository, CodeStation, with AnthillPro, uBuild and uDeploy. They also integrate with third party repos. We place much emphasis on this capability because it is critical for safety, governance and audit.
To explain this, let’s first look at a simplified build and release lifecycle:
Developers submit their work to a source control system. A build is generated from that source and any dependency libraries retrieved by a tool like Maven or CodeStation. That build is submitted to test environments and certified. Finally, it is sent to production.
The following questions are important to be able to answer:
- What is in production?
- Was it certified in test environments (and by whom)?
- How do you know your answers to #1 and #2 are true?
To be able to answer 1 and 2, you need an inventory of what version of something is in an environment or at least logging that indicates the version number. But to truly know that what is in production is what was tested, you have to ensure that not just are the file names the same, but that the exact same files were moved into each environment.
In order to know and prove that the files are the same, one must validate that they are bit-for-bit identical by comparing digital signatures or hashes at deployment time. It helps to actually have the original file around in a tamper resistant location. A good package repository, like the one in uDeploy, will provide that location, the automatic signature generation at build time, and the automatic verification so that you know that what is in production is exactly what was built from known source, and tested in the prior environments.
For more information on package repositories, view our on-demand best practices lesson: 'The Role of Binary Repositories in SCM'