CD with Kubernetes: The prequel (sponsored by GitLab)

If you're interested in learning a framework of reference to enable continuous deployment to Kubernetes for business-critical production applications, join in. Priyanka Sharma bridges the gap between how to make large-scale migrations of production applications and the nitty gritty details that engineering managers and leaders need to consider.

Priyanka Sharma walks you through the practical realities of starting continuous deployments for legacy applications. GitLab releases every 22nd of the month to help its large, self-managed install base maintain consistency. However, as it’s in the process of moving to Kubernetes, it increased the velocity of feature development, which meant it needed the ability to deploy more regularly. Traditionally, talks and blog posts focus on adopting the latest Kubernetes-enabled, star-spangled CI/CD solution, but GitHub went the alternate route of pushing its existing legacy CI/CD system to the limit instead. Priyanka tells the story of how GitHub found success, both human and byte sized. You’ll learn why this migration is important and how to make it as effective and seamless as possible as Priyanka explores the challenges you should be thinking through when planning a move to continuous deployment for a mission-critical production application; the options GitHub had, whether running two versions of GitLab with different CI/CD systems or picking something; why GitHub made the choice it did to push its legacy system, which was more cost effective; the benefits of pushing its legacy system to its limits, enabling the company to work in parallel tracks and begin the process of migrating, scaling, and managing the change; and how to make the human changes necessary by addressing the habits GitHub had to take into account, how to press on despite real performance issues, and managing expectations with higher-ups. This session is sponsored by GitLab.