Channel 4 aims to enhance software delivery efficiency by transitioning from a monolithic architecture to a microservices approach, integrating continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) practices, and promoting automation and shared responsibility. The document discusses the challenges faced in cloud management and deployment processes, highlighting the need for standardized development practices and improved operational support. Future plans include implementing continuous deployment, canary releasing, and achieving a highly distributed architecture to improve dependency management and fault tolerance.

1. Speeding up software delivery at
Channel 4
Where we were, are and going to
be

2. • Terrestrial UK broadcaster
• First terrestrial on-demand service in the UK
• We build, deploy and manage
– Websites
– Web services
– VoD Services
– Device apps
– Data services
• Ad funded commercial model
Background to C4

3. • We want to create the best personalised
user experience
• To deliver the best experience we need to
innovate and get enhancements into
production efficiently
• Application architecture, tools, practices
constraining us.
Business Problem

4. • Early adopter of cloud (circa 2009)
• Cloud first strategy
• Templated stacks via custom deployment
framework (Bash + xml)
Where we were…

5. • Monolithic programme metadata DB
• Deficiencies in cloud management
• High test and deployment overhead
• Onerous release process
• Dev dependency on sys engineering
Problems!

6. • Tactical & Strategic
• Bolts and braces
• PoC, evaluate, drop or adopt
• MVP
Approach

7. • Tag, query, manage
• Open up access
– Tools
– Config
• Release more
– Get everyone ready
Tactical

8. • Decompose the monolith
• CI/CD approach
• Self service and more automation
• Change mind-sets
• Promote shared responsibility
Strategic

9. • Micro service architecture
Where we are

10. The Monolith!

11. The Micro!

12. • First class CI/CD orchestration tool
• Integrate testing into an automated pipeline
• Standardise development practices
– TDD
• Swagger
– Framework use
– Improve operational support within apps
• Metrics
• Operations endpoints
– Docker implementation
Move towards CI/CD Practices

13. Bamboo + Jira

14. Automated Pipeline

15. Tooling
PMCF

16. • Spec -> Build Test -> Cut Code
Swagger

17. Embedded Ops Support

18. Standard Dockerfile

19. • Improved efficiency
• Change & product lifecycle visibility
• Better understanding of Docker
• Happy people J
Outcomes

20. • Implement feature branching / toggling
across our apps
• Fully self service project initialisation
• Harvest metrics, store and expose
• Docker clustering
• Service virtualisation
What we’re going next

21. New pipeline

22. • Move towards continuous deployment
• Canary releasing
– Backwards compatibility
– Traffic shaping
• Scorecard deployments
– Leverage metrics, central logging etc
– Fail fast, fix forward
What we’re doing next next

23. • Highly distributed architecture
– Dependency management
– Inter process comms overhead
• Our experience with Storm
– Fault tolerance
• Docker scheduling logic
• Support model
Nuts we’ll need to crack

24. • brendanfoxen@gmail.com
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendanfoxen
Thanks! J