Dr. Gunnar Wrobel discusses deploying applications to unlimited environments on a per-branch basis using cloud infrastructure as code. By deploying infrastructure and applications for each branch through tools like GitLab CI and CloudFormation, it allows for easy testing, demonstration, and experimentation without impacting production. While there may be some operational overhead in managing many environments, it facilitates collaboration and learning at low cost. Resources like databases and functions are configured specifically for each stage through template parameters and conditions.

1. Serious Deployment:
Unlimited Environments
Dr. Gunnar Wrobel, JobMatchMe GmbH

2. Disrupting the employment market for non-academic professionals

3. Business

5. Revisiting github flow
https://guides.github.com/introduction/flow/

6. Revisiting github flow

7. Revisiting github flow

8. Revisiting github flow
Where to?

9. https://softwareengineering.stackexchange.com/questions/362072/in-github-flow-why-is-it-important-to-deploy-after-push-to-master
… This is a very lightweight process, so it is assumed that you do not have to
perform extensive QA before release. Your deployment process should perform
automated tests, and once the feature is live you are supposed to validate it in
production. If there's a problem, you just re-deploy the current state of the master
branch.
In my opinion this process is so lightweight that it is almost meaningless. It seems
to be most suitable for small teams working on early-stage products where
failures in production are acceptable. …

10. What if ...
… you could get an environment per branch?
ENTER THE CLOUD
….

11. .gitlab-ci.yml
Frontend
packages/aws-setup/.gitlab-ci.yml
Backend
packages/api/.gitlab-ci.yml

12. template.yaml
Backend
packages/api/.gitlab-ci.yml

13. Cloudformation
https://aws.amazon.com/cloudformation/

14. View Tables
JmmApiProjectionsFunction
projections.js
template.yaml
Backend
packages/api/.gitlab-ci.yml
JmmApiLambdaFunction
index.js
JmmDbEventsTable
JMM${__Stage__}EventsTable
TruckJobsFrontendDistribution
JmmApi
JmmApiAuthFunction
auth.js
JmmApiMessengerFunction
messengerQueue.js
JmmApiPipedriveFunction
pipe.js
AWS SES
Pipedrive
Command
POST
Query
GET

15. Orchestration - .gitlab-ci.yml
###############################
# deploy #
###############################
variables:
DEV_STAGE: https://$CI_COMMIT_REF_SLUG.truck-jobs.com
presetup:dev:api:
stage: presetup
only:
refs:
- merge_requests
script:
- DEV_STAGE=$CI_COMMIT_REF_SLUG yarn run deploy:dev
- STAGE=$CI_COMMIT_REF_SLUG yarn seedData

16. Orchestration - package.json
...
"package:dev": "
aws cloudformation package
--template-file template.yaml
--output-template-file deploy.yaml
--s3-bucket cloudformation-deploymentbucket-backend
--s3-prefix $DEV_STAGE",
"deploy:dev": "
yarn run build &&
yarn run package:dev &&
aws cloudformation deploy
--stack-name backend-$DEV_STAGE
--template-file deploy.yaml
--s3-bucket cloudformation-deploymentbucket-backend
--s3-prefix $DEV_STAGE
--parameter-overrides Stage=$DEV_STAGE
--region eu-central-1",
...

17. Orchestration - template.yaml: Deriving the stage name from the branch
...
AWSTemplateFormatVersion: '2010-09-09'
Transform: AWS::Serverless-2016-10-31
Description: >
JobMatchMe Backend
The full API of the JobMatchMe GmbH
Parameters:
Stage:
Type: String
Description: The stage that is being deployed to
...

18. Orchestration - template.yaml: Creating stage specific resources
...
Resources:
# -----------------------------------
# DB
# -----------------------------------
JmmDbEventsTable:
Type: AWS::DynamoDB::Table
Condition: IsBranch
Properties:
TableName: !Join
- ''
- - JMM
- !Ref Stage
- EventsTable
AttributeDefinitions:
- AttributeName: 'aggregate'
AttributeType: 'S'
...

19. TruckJobsFrontendDistribution
frontend.yaml
Frontend
packages/aws-setup/.gitlab-ci.yml
TruckJobsDomain
${__Stage__}.truck-jobs.com
Backend ${__ApiDomain__}.execute-api.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com
packages/api/.gitlab-ci.yml
FrontendCoreS3Bucket
cf.${__Stage__}.main.truck-jobs.com packages/main/.gitlab-ci.yml
MatchesS3Bucket
cf.${__Stage__}.matches.truck-jobs.com packages/internal-matches/.gitlab-ci.yml
NewsFrontendBucket
cf.${__Stage__}.news.truck-jobs.com netlify-news-cms

20. Disadvantages / Advantages
● Lack of pressure to automate QA
● Lots of environments dangling
around
● Lots of AWS parts dangling around
● Easy testing, playing around,
learning, discussing, designing,
demonstrating
● No feature toggles
● Amazingly low cost

21. Thanks!
Dr. Gunnar Wrobel, JobMatchMe GmbH
https://twitter.com/gunnarwrobel
https://www.linkedin.com/in/gunnarwrobel/
https://jobmatch.me