iOS CI/CD Infrastructure

1 post · Apr 2017 – Jan 2019

What this trail covers

Shopify has evolved its Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) infrastructure for iOS applications. Initial efforts focused on building a unified build system, Shopify Build, based on Buildkite for Linux and Android projects. This post details the significant challenges and solutions for extending this unified system to iOS, which requires macOS environments. Key developments include the transition from a VMware ESXi-based system with manual configuration to a more automated and scalable solution leveraging MacStadium's Private Cloud and a scheduler/worker VM architecture with linked clones. This has drastically reduced build times and improved scalability.

All Shopify trails

Jan 2019iOS Application Testing Strategies at Shopify - ShopifyThis post details Shopify's strategies for testing iOS applications at various levels: Models (unit tests for business rules), Views (snapshot tests for visual regression), ViewModels (state and validation testing), View Controllers (composition and state-driven UI testing), and Flows (UI Automation tests using XCUITest for user-facing features). It also touches on accessibility considerations in UI tests and the diminishing role of manual testing. The post emphasizes the test pyramid concept for balancing test types and maintenance effort.
Jul 2018Scaling iOS CI with Anka - ShopifyThis post details the transition of Shopify's iOS CI/CD infrastructure from a VMware ESXi-based system to a new solution leveraging Anka virtualization on Mac Minis. It outlines the challenges of macOS virtualization, the limitations of cloud providers, the maintenance burden of the previous system, and the performance issues with shared storage. The new system utilizes Anka's Docker-like CLI for lightweight macOS VMs, runs on local storage of cost-effective Mac Minis, and employs a layered image management approach for efficient distribution. Builds are orchestrated by Buildkite, with a focus on disposable build environments and improved boot times. The system is deployed across two data centers for resiliency.
Apr 2017Building a Dynamic Mobile CI System - ShopifyThis post details the transition from a static, shared CI environment using Mac Minis to a dynamic, virtualized system for iOS and Android builds. Key technical contributions include: the adoption of Buildkite as the CI backbone, the use of VMware ESXi for virtualizing macOS and Ubuntu environments, the implementation of a scheduler/worker VM architecture inspired by Kubernetes, the use of linked clones for rapid VM provisioning from templates stored on a shared SAN, and the integration with MacStadium's Private Cloud for high-speed storage and networking. It also discusses challenges with Xcode and macOS upgrades, and the importance of investing in appropriate hardware.
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