CI/CD Migration

Introduction

Migrating to a Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipeline is a transformative step for development teams looking to enhance productivity, code quality, and deployment reliability. This guide will walk you through the process of transitioning your existing projects from manual or legacy deployment methods to a modern CI/CD approach.

CI/CD migration isn't just about adopting new tools—it's about embracing a philosophy that values automation, frequent integration, and regular delivery of your software. Whether you're moving from manual FTP uploads, outdated build servers, or simply enhancing your existing automation, this guide will provide you with a structured approach to successfully implement CI/CD practices.

Why Migrate to CI/CD?

Before diving into the "how," let's understand the "why" behind CI/CD migration:

Speed: Automated builds and deployments significantly reduce the time from code commit to production
Consistency: Eliminate "it works on my machine" problems with standardized build environments
Quality: Catch issues earlier through automated testing at every stage
Reduced Risk: Smaller, more frequent deployments mean less risk and easier rollbacks
Developer Experience: Free developers from repetitive deployment tasks
Visibility: Gain insights into your build and deployment processes

Pre-Migration Assessment

Before you start migrating to CI/CD, assess your current state:

Step 1: Inventory Your Current Processes

Document how you currently build, test, and deploy your applications:

javascript
// Example documentation of a manual deployment process
const currentDeploymentProcess = {
  steps: [
    "Developer runs tests locally",
    "Developer builds application locally",
    "Developer connects to production server via FTP",
    "Developer uploads build artifacts",
    "Developer restarts application server",
    "Developer verifies deployment manually"
  ],
  frequency: "Every two weeks",
  averageDuration: "2 hours",
  commonIssues: [
    "Forgetting configuration steps",
    "Inconsistent environments",
    "Deployment during business hours causes downtime"
  ]
};

Step 2: Identify Your Requirements

List out what you need from your CI/CD pipeline:

Which environments do you need? (development, staging, production)
What testing should be automated? (unit, integration, end-to-end)
Who should have permissions to trigger deployments?
Do you need approval workflows for certain environments?
What kind of notifications do you need?

Choosing a CI/CD Platform

Several platforms can support your CI/CD needs:

Platform	Best For	Notable Features
GitHub Actions	GitHub-hosted projects	Seamless GitHub integration, marketplace actions
GitLab CI	GitLab-hosted projects	Built-in CI/CD, container registry
Jenkins	Self-hosted, customizable pipelines	Extensive plugin ecosystem, highly configurable
CircleCI	Easy cloud setup, parallel testing	Fast performance, first-class Docker support
Azure DevOps	Microsoft ecosystem	End-to-end DevOps tools, Azure integration

For beginners, starting with the CI/CD tools integrated with your source control platform (like GitHub Actions for GitHub repositories) often provides the smoothest experience.

Step-by-Step Migration Process

Step 1: Start with Continuous Integration

Begin with the "CI" part before tackling deployment:

Create a basic build pipeline:

yaml
# Example GitHub Actions workflow for a Node.js project
name: Basic CI

on:
  push:
    branches: [ main ]
  pull_request:
    branches: [ main ]

jobs:
  build:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    
    steps:
    - uses: actions/checkout@v3
    
    - name: Set up Node.js
      uses: actions/setup-node@v3
      with:
        node-version: '16'
        cache: 'npm'
        
    - name: Install dependencies
      run: npm ci
      
    - name: Run tests
      run: npm test
      
    - name: Build
      run: npm run build

This basic workflow:

Triggers on pushes to main and on pull requests
Sets up Node.js
Installs dependencies
Runs tests
Builds the application

Verify the pipeline works by making a small commit and watching it run

Step 2: Integrate Automated Testing

Expand your pipeline to include more comprehensive testing:

yaml
# Adding more test types to our workflow
jobs:
  test:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    
    steps:
    - uses: actions/checkout@v3
    
    - name: Set up Node.js
      uses: actions/setup-node@v3
      with:
        node-version: '16'
        cache: 'npm'
        
    - name: Install dependencies
      run: npm ci
      
    - name: Lint
      run: npm run lint
      
    - name: Unit tests
      run: npm run test:unit
      
    - name: Integration tests
      run: npm run test:integration
      
    - name: E2E tests
      run: npm run test:e2e

Step 3: Add Continuous Deployment

Now implement the "CD" part:

yaml
# Adding deployment to our workflow
jobs:
  # ... previous test job ...
  
  deploy-staging:
    needs: test
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    if: github.ref == 'refs/heads/main'
    
    steps:
    - uses: actions/checkout@v3
    
    - name: Set up Node.js
      uses: actions/setup-node@v3
      with:
        node-version: '16'
        cache: 'npm'
        
    - name: Install dependencies
      run: npm ci
      
    - name: Build
      run: npm run build
      
    - name: Deploy to staging
      uses: some-deployment-action@v1
      with:
        server: ${{ secrets.STAGING_SERVER }}
        username: ${{ secrets.STAGING_USERNAME }}
        password: ${{ secrets.STAGING_PASSWORD }}
        source: 'dist/'
        target: '/var/www/staging/'

This adds:

A deployment job that runs only after successful tests
Deployment to a staging environment
Use of secrets for sensitive information

Step 4: Implement Approval Gates for Production

For production deployments, add manual approval:

yaml
# Adding production deployment with approval
jobs:
  # ... previous jobs ...
  
  deploy-production:
    needs: deploy-staging
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    environment:
      name: production
      url: https://example.com
    
    steps:
    - uses: actions/checkout@v3
    
    - name: Set up Node.js
      uses: actions/setup-node@v3
      with:
        node-version: '16'
        cache: 'npm'
        
    - name: Install dependencies
      run: npm ci
      
    - name: Build
      run: npm run build
      
    - name: Deploy to production
      uses: some-deployment-action@v1
      with:
        server: ${{ secrets.PRODUCTION_SERVER }}
        username: ${{ secrets.PRODUCTION_USERNAME }}
        password: ${{ secrets.PRODUCTION_PASSWORD }}
        source: 'dist/'
        target: '/var/www/html/'

The environment: production setting creates an approval gate in GitHub that requires manual approval before the production deployment starts.

Real-World Migration Example: From FTP to CI/CD

Let's walk through a concrete example of migrating a web application from manual FTP deployment to a CI/CD pipeline:

Before: Manual FTP Process

javascript
// The old way: A script developers would run locally
const manualDeploy = async () => {
  try {
    console.log("Starting manual deployment...");
    
    // Run tests locally
    console.log("Running tests...");
    await runCommand("npm test");
    
    // Build the application
    console.log("Building application...");
    await runCommand("npm run build");
    
    // Deploy via FTP
    console.log("Deploying via FTP...");
    await runCommand(`
      ftp -u ftp://username:[email protected]/ -e "
      cd public_html
      mkdir -p backup
      mv * backup/
      exit
    "`);
    
    await runCommand("ftp -u ftp://username:[email protected]/public_html/ dist/*");
    
    console.log("Deployment complete!");
  } catch (error) {
    console.error("Deployment failed:", error);
  }
};

After: CI/CD Pipeline

yaml
# .github/workflows/deploy.yml
name: Deploy Website

on:
  push:
    branches: [ main ]
  pull_request:
    branches: [ main ]

jobs:
  test:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
    - uses: actions/checkout@v3
    - name: Setup Node.js
      uses: actions/setup-node@v3
      with:
        node-version: '16'
    - name: Install dependencies
      run: npm ci
    - name: Run tests
      run: npm test
      
  build:
    needs: test
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
    - uses: actions/checkout@v3
    - name: Setup Node.js
      uses: actions/setup-node@v3
      with:
        node-version: '16'
    - name: Install dependencies
      run: npm ci
    - name: Build
      run: npm run build
    - name: Upload build artifacts
      uses: actions/upload-artifact@v3
      with:
        name: build-files
        path: dist/
        
  deploy-staging:
    needs: build
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
    - name: Download build artifacts
      uses: actions/download-artifact@v3
      with:
        name: build-files
        path: dist
    - name: Deploy to staging
      uses: SamKirkland/FTP-Deploy-[email protected]
      with:
        server: ${{ secrets.FTP_SERVER }}
        username: ${{ secrets.FTP_USERNAME }}
        password: ${{ secrets.FTP_PASSWORD }}
        local-dir: ./dist/
        server-dir: /staging/
        
  deploy-production:
    needs: deploy-staging
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    environment:
      name: production
      url: https://example.com
    steps:
    - name: Download build artifacts
      uses: actions/download-artifact@v3
      with:
        name: build-files
        path: dist
    - name: Deploy to production
      uses: SamKirkland/FTP-Deploy-[email protected]
      with:
        server: ${{ secrets.FTP_SERVER }}
        username: ${{ secrets.FTP_USERNAME }}
        password: ${{ secrets.FTP_PASSWORD }}
        local-dir: ./dist/
        server-dir: /public_html/

Benefits of the Migration

Consistency: Every deployment follows the exact same steps
Visibility: The team can see deployment status and history
Separation of concerns: Developers focus on code, not deployment mechanics
Security: Deployment credentials are stored securely as secrets
Reliability: Each step is verified before proceeding to the next
Approvals: Production deployments require explicit approval

Common Challenges and Solutions

Challenge 1: Environment-Specific Configuration

Different environments need different configurations:

javascript
// config.js - Environment-specific configuration
const config = {
  development: {
    apiUrl: 'http://localhost:3000/api',
    logLevel: 'debug'
  },
  staging: {
    apiUrl: 'https://staging-api.example.com',
    logLevel: 'info'
  },
  production: {
    apiUrl: 'https://api.example.com',
    logLevel: 'error'
  }
};

// In CI/CD pipeline, set environment variable:
// process.env.NODE_ENV = 'production'

export default config[process.env.NODE_ENV || 'development'];

Challenge 2: Database Migrations

Handling database schema changes:

yaml
# Adding database migration to deployment
deploy-steps:
  # ... previous steps ...
  
  - name: Run database migrations
    run: |
      echo "Running migrations for ${ENVIRONMENT}"
      npx sequelize-cli db:migrate --env=${ENVIRONMENT}
    env:
      ENVIRONMENT: staging
      DATABASE_URL: ${{ secrets.STAGING_DATABASE_URL }}

Challenge 3: Legacy Systems Integration

For integrating with legacy systems that cannot be easily automated:

yaml
# Notify operations team for manual steps
deploy-production:
  # ... previous steps ...
  
  - name: Notify operations team
    if: ${{ success() }}
    uses: some-notification-action@v1
    with:
      to: ops-[email protected]
      subject: "Production Deployment Ready for Legacy Integration"
      body: |
        A new deployment has been completed to production.
        Please perform the following legacy integration steps:
        1. Restart the legacy service
        2. Update the configuration file at /etc/legacy/config.xml
        3. Notify the deployment team when complete

Gradually Enhancing Your Pipeline

Once you have a basic CI/CD pipeline, continue to enhance it:

Add code quality checks:

yaml
- name: Code quality analysis
  run: npm run lint

Implement test coverage reporting:

yaml
- name: Run tests with coverage
  run: npm run test:coverage
  
- name: Upload coverage report
  uses: actions/upload-artifact@v3
  with:
    name: coverage-report
    path: coverage/

Add security scanning:

yaml
- name: Security scan
  uses: some-security-scanner@v1
  with:
    scan-path: './src'

Best Practices for CI/CD Migration

Start small: Begin with a simple pipeline and expand gradually
Automate tests first: Ensure good test coverage before automating deployment
Use feature branches: Test changes to the pipeline in feature branches
Secure your secrets: Never hardcode sensitive information
Document everything: Keep a record of your CI/CD configuration and choices
Monitor pipeline performance: Track build times and optimize as needed
Create rollback plans: Know how to revert to previous versions if needed

Summary

Migrating to CI/CD is a journey that brings substantial benefits to your development workflow:

Faster, more reliable deployments
Improved code quality through automated testing
Better collaboration through standardized processes
More time for developers to focus on creating value
Reduced risk through smaller, incremental changes

By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can transform your manual deployment process into an efficient, automated pipeline that scales with your team and project.

Additional Resources

Learn more about CI/CD principles in Martin Fowler's article on Continuous Integration
Explore deployment strategies like blue-green deployment and canary releases
Try implementing CI/CD for a small side project to practice these concepts

Exercises

Document your current deployment process, identifying manual steps that could be automated
Create a basic CI workflow that builds and tests your application
Extend your CI workflow to deploy to a staging environment
Implement environment-specific configuration
Add quality checks like linting and security scanning to your pipeline
Challenge: Implement a blue-green deployment strategy for zero-downtime updates

If you spot any mistakes on this website, please let me know at [email protected]. I’d greatly appreciate your feedback! :)

Introduction​

Why Migrate to CI/CD?​

Pre-Migration Assessment​

Step 1: Inventory Your Current Processes​

Step 2: Identify Your Requirements​

Choosing a CI/CD Platform​

Step-by-Step Migration Process​

Step 1: Start with Continuous Integration​

Step 2: Integrate Automated Testing​

Step 3: Add Continuous Deployment​

Step 4: Implement Approval Gates for Production​

Real-World Migration Example: From FTP to CI/CD​

Before: Manual FTP Process​

After: CI/CD Pipeline​

Benefits of the Migration​

Common Challenges and Solutions​

Challenge 1: Environment-Specific Configuration​

Challenge 2: Database Migrations​

Challenge 3: Legacy Systems Integration​

Gradually Enhancing Your Pipeline​

Best Practices for CI/CD Migration​

Summary​

Additional Resources​

Exercises​