Building a Scalable CI/CD System for a Fast-Growing Startup
A fast-growing startup had successfully moved past the MVP stage and was ready to scale their product. With hundreds of microservices powering their platform, they needed a robust, automated CI/CD system to streamline their development process. Their goal was clear: every microservice should follow a standardized workflow, from code commit to production deployment, with rigorous testing, security checks, and an easy onboarding process for new applications.
They reached out to ScaleNova, and our team delivered a tailor-made CI/CD solution using Jenkins as the core platform, integrated with tools like Checkmarx, an in-house testing solution, and OpenTelemetry for monitoring.
Background
The Challenge
The startup’s development process was becoming chaotic. With hundreds of microservices, each managed by different teams, there was no consistent workflow. Key pain points included:
Manual Processes: Testing and deployments were done manually, leading to errors and delays.
Lack of Standardization: Each team had its own way of managing code, making it hard to maintain consistency.
Security Gaps: There was no automated scanning for vulnerabilities or static code analysis.
Onboarding Challenges: Adding new microservices to the pipeline was time-consuming and error-prone.
The startup wanted a CI/CD system that could:
Support both Git Flow and Trunk-Based Development.
Automate testing (unit, integration, and end-to-end).
Include gating mechanisms to ensure only high-quality code reached production.
Integrate tools like Checkmarx for static code analysis and vulnerability scanning.
Provide an easy onboarding mechanism for new microservices.
Include monitoring using OpenTelemetry for observability and performance tracking.
Designing the CI/CD Pipeline
Our Solution
Our team started by designing a scalable CI/CD pipeline using Jenkins as the core platform. The pipeline included:
Version Control Integration: Supported both Git Flow and Trunk-Based Development workflows.
Automated Testing: Integrated an in-house testing solution built on Jenkins, with Allure for test reporting and visualization.
Gating Mechanisms: Added approval gates for production deployments, ensuring only thoroughly tested and reviewed code made it to production.
Security Scanning: Integrated Checkmarx for static code analysis and vulnerability scanning.
Monitoring: Used OpenTelemetry to provide end-to-end observability, tracking performance and errors across all microservices.
Building the Onboarding Mechanism
To make it easy for new microservices to join the pipeline, our team developed a simple onboarding process:
Template Repositories: Created standardized templates for different types of microservices (e.g., REST APIs, background workers).
Automated Configuration: Built a script that automatically configured CI/CD settings for new repositories, including test suites, security scans, and deployment rules.
Self-Service Portal: Developed a user-friendly portal where developers could onboard new microservices in minutes.
Implementing the Pipeline
We rolled out the CI/CD system in phases:
Pilot Phase: Tested the pipeline with a small set of microservices to identify and fix any issues.
Scaling Phase: Gradually onboarded all microservices, ensuring each one met the required standards.
Optimization Phase: Fine-tuned the pipeline for performance and reliability.
The Results
The new CI/CD system transformed the startup’s development process:
Faster Deployments: Automated testing and deployments reduced release cycles from days to hours.
Improved Quality: Gating mechanisms and security scans ensured only high-quality code reached production.
Consistency: Standardized workflows made it easier to manage hundreds of microservices.
Easy Onboarding: New microservices could be added to the pipeline in minutes, not hours.
Scalability: The system was designed to handle future growth, with room for thousands of microservices.
Visibility: OpenTelemetry provided real-time monitoring and insights, helping teams quickly identify and resolve issues.
Conclusion
This project was a perfect example of how our team can deliver tailored solutions to meet complex challenges. By building a scalable, secure, and easy-to-use CI/CD system using Jenkins, Checkmarx, and OpenTelemetry, we helped the startup transition from MVP to production with confidence.
It wasn’t just about automation—it was about empowering their teams to focus on building great products, while we handled the heavy lifting behind the scenes. And that’s what we do best.
$150,000 annual savings
90% faster microservice onboarding
90% reduction in deployment failures
Imagine running a business where your core application, the heart of your operations, is stuck on aging on-premises infrastructure. For our client, this was a daily reality. Their system, though reliable, was becoming a bottleneck. Scaling was a nightmare, costs were spiraling, and deploying new features felt like moving mountains. The leadership team knew they had to make a bold move—migrate to the cloud. But how? And where to start? This is the story of how our client transformed its operations by migrating to Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS)—without a single minute of downtime.
Read more
