DevOps Release Orchestration

What is Release Orchestration?

Release orchestration is a process that coordinates, plans, and organizes automated tasks executed by numerous systems, updating them for users and various environments such as testing, production, and staging. It also helps reduce risks and ensures high-quality outcomes.

Throughout the process, release orchestration may also involve planning, including clarifying the scope of the release, organizing release dates, and coordinating activities with team members and stakeholders involved in the release process.

One of the main purposes of release orchestration is to make software releases efficient, reliable, and predictable. It ensures that new updates and features in the software product are delivered in a controlled manner, providing a positive user experience.

Image Credit: https://www.xenonstack.com/blog/application-release-orchestration

By this above image you will get some idea about the release orchestration platform, it has five stage or you can say ways, the first is plan next one is code, then build, test and then release.

What is Application Release Orchestration (ARO)?

ARO is the process that regulates, coordinates, and plans the deployment of software applications across various environments, including production, testing, development, and staging. The primary purpose of ARO is to ensure the efficient and smooth deployment of software releases.

ARO also assists organizations in automating deployment pipelines, enabling controlled, fast, and consistent software updates. In the IT industry, ARO is a new term that has emerged to enhance release management and regulate CI/CD pipelines and release workflows.

ARO reduces manual intervention, minimizing the impact of human errors. It ensures that changes in the code are appropriately arranged and tracked, facilitating the identification and resolution of any issues.

Benefits of DevOps Release Management and Orchestration

Here is a list of benefits:

1. Decreased Manual Errors: It reduces human errors during deployment and configuration processes.
2. Quick Release Cycle: Automated software delivery pipelines speed up the release cycle, allowing organizations to respond effectively to customer demands.
3. Enhanced Stability and Dependability: Thorough testing and verification before production enhance software release stability and dependability.
4. Continuous Improvement: DevOps release management promotes a culture of continuous improvement, with teams receiving feedback and making necessary enhancements to the release process.
5. Customer Satisfaction: Improved software features lead to enhanced customer satisfaction.

5 Release Orchestration Tools

1. GitLab CI/CD: This tool offers release orchestration features and an integrated CI/CD platform, catering to software engineers and small to mid-sized businesses. Similar to GitHub, GitLab is a web-based platform that provides CI (continuous integration), version control, and collaboration for software development. It also offers additional features, including CI/CD abilities. GitLab is available in both free and paid versions, providing end-to-end support for software development.
2. GitHub: GitHub provides code deployment, compilation, and testing functionalities, including CI/CD features. GitHub is a web-based platform that offers collaboration and version control for all software development projects. Developers use it to organize and collaborate on code.
3. Jenkins: Jenkins is an open-source tool for on-premise CI automation, suitable for Linux, macOS, and Windows platforms. Among the top priorities of CI/CD tools, Jenkins holds a position since its inauguration in 2011. It is an open-source tool for on-premise CI automation and is web-based, available for free. Jenkins can be used on Linux, macOS platforms, and Windows. It facilitates the automation of CI/CD in the cloud and is designed for cloud providers and Kubernetes clusters. It possesses the capability to enhance building and testing through the development of machine networks.
4. Circle CI: An open-source project offering CI/CD pipelines and supporting various programming languages and cloud-based platforms. A large-scale open-source project, Circle CI provides CI/CD pipelines as Workflow. It supports programming languages across various platforms, including macOS, Linux, and Windows. Additionally, it is compatible with cloud-based platforms such as Google Cloud, Azure, and AWS. Circle CI is focused on scalability and speed, making it easily recognizable. It can be accessed for free or purchased at $30 per month.
5. Bamboo: Created by Atlassian, Bamboo is a comprehensive tool for organizing automated pipelines, supporting multiple programming languages and available in both cloud-based and self-hosted variants.  Developed by Atlassian, Bamboo is organized into five slabs: storage, tasks, project, plan, and jobs. This comprehensive tool is designed to manage automated pipelines. Bamboo is not available for free and starts with a pricing of $10 per year. It supports programming languages like SVN, AWS, and Git, and comes in various variants, including cloud-based or self-hosted.

Conclusion: Release orchestration and application release orchestration play crucial roles in ensuring efficient, reliable, and controlled software releases. The adoption of proper tools, such as GitLab CI/CD, GitHub, Jenkins, Circle CI, and Bamboo, can further enhance these processes and contribute to successful DevOps practices.