Learn how to automate software builds to improve your software development quality, consistency, and efficiency. Discover the best tools, techniques, and tips for build automation.

Version control is like a time machine for your code. It helps you keep track of changes and work with others. Git is a popular choice. Always save your work in version control before starting a build. This way, you can always go back to a working version if something goes wrong.

Last updated on Jul 20, 2024

What are the best practices for automating software builds?

Automating software builds is a key practice for improving the quality, consistency, and efficiency of software development. By using tools and scripts to automate the process of compiling, testing, and packaging code, you can reduce human errors, speed up delivery, and ensure compliance with standards and best practices. In this article, we will explore some of the best practices for automating software builds, such as:

1 Choose the right tools

The first step to automate software builds is to choose the right tools for your project. There are many options available, such as Make, Ant, Maven, Gradle, NPM, and Jenkins, each with its own features, advantages, and drawbacks. You should consider factors such as the programming language, the platform, the dependencies, the complexity, and the integration with other tools when selecting your build tools. You should also look for tools that are well-documented, widely supported, and easy to use and configure.

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2 Use version control

Version control is essential for managing and tracking the changes in your code. It allows you to create branches, merge, revert, and collaborate with other developers. You should use version control to store your code, your build scripts, your configuration files, and your dependencies. This way, you can ensure that your builds are reproducible, traceable, and consistent across different environments. You should also use version control hooks to trigger your build automation whenever you commit or push your code.

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DilLip Chowdary Rayapati

Founder @TechBytes 🚀 | DevOps Engineer ☁️ IIIT 🎓 Building products | RGUKT | Nxtwave | CyberEye ˿̴̵̶̷̸̡̢̧̨̛̖̗̘̙̜̝̞̟̠̣̤̥̦̩̪̫̬̭̮̯̰̱̲̳̹̺̻̼͇͈͉͍͎̀́̂̃̄̅̆̇̈̉̊̋̌̍̎̏̐̑̒̓̔̽̾̿̀́͂̓̈́͆͊͋͌̕̚ͅ͏͓͔͕͖͙͚͐͑͒͗͛ͣͤͥ͘͜͟͢͝͞͠͡ ˿̴̵̶
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Version control is like a time machine for your code. It helps you keep track of changes and work with others. Git is a popular choice. Always save your work in version control before starting a build. This way, you can always go back to a working version if something goes wrong.

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ACHRAF ALAOUI

Full-Stack Developer | LAMP | MERN | RILT | LEMP | NextJS and NestJS
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Automating each build requires developers to walk through the build process of that software step by step and use a scripted automation tool like github-actions or gitlab-ci to automate that process directly from any repository on platforms containing the source code for this software.

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Alex Ribeiro

Software Engineer at Nuage | Cloud Architect | AWS | Backend | Serverless
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Um método que aprecio bastante para um controle de versão de código efetivo é o Trunk-based development. Essa metodologia de controle de versão envolve todos os desenvolvedores trabalhando em uma única branch principal, conhecida como "trunk". Em vez de criar múltiplas branches de longa duração, as alterações são frequentemente integradas ao trunk, promovendo a integração contínua e reduzindo os conflitos de merge. Essa abordagem facilita a entrega contínua, mantendo o código sempre em um estado pronto para ser liberado. No entanto, essa prática exige um alto nível de disciplina para garantir que o código integrado seja de alta qualidade e frequentemente testado.

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3 Follow conventions and standards

Following conventions and standards can help you simplify and streamline your build automation. You should use consistent naming, formatting, and structuring for your code, your files, your directories, and your artifacts. You should also follow the best practices and guidelines for your chosen tools and frameworks, such as using Maven conventions for Java projects or NPM scripts for Node.js projects. By following conventions and standards, you can reduce the need for customizations, avoid conflicts and errors, and make your builds more predictable and maintainable.

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DilLip Chowdary Rayapati

Founder @TechBytes 🚀 | DevOps Engineer ☁️ IIIT 🎓 Building products | RGUKT | Nxtwave | CyberEye ˿̴̵̶̷̸̡̢̧̨̛̖̗̘̙̜̝̞̟̠̣̤̥̦̩̪̫̬̭̮̯̰̱̲̳̹̺̻̼͇͈͉͍͎̀́̂̃̄̅̆̇̈̉̊̋̌̍̎̏̐̑̒̓̔̽̾̿̀́͂̓̈́͆͊͋͌̕̚ͅ͏͓͔͕͖͙͚͐͑͒͗͛ͣͤͥ͘͜͟͢͝͞͠͡ ˿̴̵̶
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Use clear names for your files and folders. Keep things organised in a way that makes sense. Write your build instructions in a special file that your build tool can understand. Try to avoid repeating the same instructions in different places. This makes it easier to change things later.

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4 Test and verify your builds

Testing and verifying your builds is crucial for ensuring the quality and functionality of your software. You should use automated testing tools and frameworks to run unit tests, integration tests, code analysis, security scans, and performance tests on your code and artifacts. You should also use automated verification tools to check the integrity, compatibility, and compliance of your builds with the requirements and specifications. You should run your tests and verifications at every stage of your build automation, from the source code to the final package.

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DilLip Chowdary Rayapati

Founder @TechBytes 🚀 | DevOps Engineer ☁️ IIIT 🎓 Building products | RGUKT | Nxtwave | CyberEye ˿̴̵̶̷̸̡̢̧̨̛̖̗̘̙̜̝̞̟̠̣̤̥̦̩̪̫̬̭̮̯̰̱̲̳̹̺̻̼͇͈͉͍͎̀́̂̃̄̅̆̇̈̉̊̋̌̍̎̏̐̑̒̓̔̽̾̿̀́͂̓̈́͆͊͋͌̕̚ͅ͏͓͔͕͖͙͚͐͑͒͗͛ͣͤͥ͘͜͟͢͝͞͠͡ ˿̴̵̶
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Always include tests in your build process. These are like little checkups for your code. They help catch problems early. After your build is done, make sure to check that everything works as it should. It's better to find issues now than after you've shared your work with others.

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5 Monitor and optimize your builds

Monitoring and optimizing your builds is important for improving the efficiency and reliability of your software development. You should use tools and metrics to track the status, progress, and performance of your build automation. You should also use feedback and reports to identify and resolve any issues, errors, or bottlenecks in your build process. You should constantly review and update your build scripts, configuration files, and dependencies to ensure that they are up to date, secure, and optimized.

Automating software builds can help you achieve faster, better, and more consistent software development. By following these best practices, you can leverage the benefits of build automation and overcome the challenges and risks.

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DilLip Chowdary Rayapati

Founder @TechBytes 🚀 | DevOps Engineer ☁️ IIIT 🎓 Building products | RGUKT | Nxtwave | CyberEye ˿̴̵̶̷̸̡̢̧̨̛̖̗̘̙̜̝̞̟̠̣̤̥̦̩̪̫̬̭̮̯̰̱̲̳̹̺̻̼͇͈͉͍͎̀́̂̃̄̅̆̇̈̉̊̋̌̍̎̏̐̑̒̓̔̽̾̿̀́͂̓̈́͆͊͋͌̕̚ͅ͏͓͔͕͖͙͚͐͑͒͗͛ͣͤͥ͘͜͟͢͝͞͠͡ ˿̴̵̶
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Keep an eye on how long your builds take and how much computer power they use. If builds are taking too long, look for ways to make them faster like caching the frequently used artifacts or dockerizing the artifacts and using it as base image Set up alerts so you know if a build fails. Regularly clean up old files to save space. Faster, more reliable builds make everyone happier!

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6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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What are the best practices for automating software builds?

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 Choose the right tools

2 Use version control

3 Follow conventions and standards

4 Test and verify your builds

5 Monitor and optimize your builds

6 Here’s what else to consider

Software Engineering

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