Wesleyada highlights the common struggle of managing disparate component versions during deployments and seeks advice on tracking solutions for complex release schedules.

Overview

In this community post, author wesleyada outlines the complexity of managing deployments when multiple components—such as Helm charts, appVersions, and infrastructure—have their own versioning and release schedules. The problem becomes even more complicated when each customer operates on a different combination of these versions.

Key Challenges Highlighted

  • Multiple Helm Charts: Each Helm chart is separately versioned and released, making management intricate across deployments.
  • Independent appVersions: Applications tied to these charts have their own versioning, creating further complexity.
  • Infrastructure as a Component: Infrastructure elements are versioned and released on their own timelines.
  • Customer-Specific Versions: Customers may not all upgrade at the same time, leading to a mix of versions in the field.

Pain Points

The inherent fragmentation makes it difficult to:

  • Get a consolidated view of which version is deployed where
  • Synchronize upgrades or maintenance windows
  • Track dependencies and compatibility between components

Proposed Solution

The author is considering the creation of a web application to:

  • Track and visualize component versions and release schedules
  • Map the current version state for each customer
  • Improve visibility beyond what standard project management tools provide, potentially using a timeline-style interface

Call for Recommendations

The post also asks the community for recommendations on existing tools that effectively:

  • Track and display such multifaceted versioning information
  • Aid in visualizing release schedules and version adoption by customer

Conclusion

Maintaining clear visibility into component versions across a diverse customer base is a significant DevOps challenge. Solutions—whether off-the-shelf or custom—can help manage complexity, streamline upgrades, and reduce the risk of version drift.

Author: wesleyada

This post appeared first on “Reddit DevOps”. Read the entire article here