Scaling iOS CI with Anka - Shopify

What this post added

This post details the challenges and solutions for integrating iOS into Shopify's unified CI/CD system, Shopify Build. It describes the migration from a VMware ESXi-based infrastructure with a SAN to a new system utilizing Anka virtualization on Mac Minis with local storage. Key technical contributions include: identifying the limitations of cloud providers for macOS, the maintenance burden of the previous VMware setup, the introduction of Anka for lightweight macOS VMs with Docker-like features (container registry, fast boot times, CLI provisioning), the cost-effectiveness and performance benefits of Mac Minis over Mac Pros for Anka, the multi-layered image management for efficient distribution and updates, and the integration of Anka VMs with Buildkite agents for running build jobs. It also discusses the lifecycle of a build job using Anka commands (clone, run, delete) and the strategies for managing build node demand with MacStadium.