RisingWave slashes build times by 50% switching from GitHub Actions to Harness CI

Introduction

RisingWave offers a distributed SQL streaming database that enables simple, efficient, and reliable processing of streaming data. 

RisingWave Cloud team was previously using GitHub Actions for their Continuous Integration (CI) needs. However, they were looking for a more reliable, faster, and easier-to-use solution that could also be extended to meet their future needs. Harness CI was the perfect fit for their requirements. This case study explores how Harness CI empowered RisingWave Labs to redefine its development process in its quest for engineering excellence. 

The Challenge: bridging the gap in efficiency and reliability

RisingWave Labs faced several hurdles with GitHub Actions: slower build times, unreliable inconsistent builds, limited features, and challenges in integrating Continuous Integration with Continuous Deployment (CI/CD). 

“We received many complaints from developers about GitHub Actions, mainly concerning its sluggishness and inconsistency. Developers were tired of lengthy waits for builds, only to encounter system errors requiring rerunning their builds, wasting more time. This didn’t only impact developers' productivity but also the bottom line - more builds mean higher builds infrastructure costs” Junfeng Wu, Software Engineer Manager, RisingWave Cloud.

These issues slowed down software development, increased toil, and hindered their capacity to scale and adapt in a fast-paced tech environment. 

The Solution: a DevOps platform to boost developer productivity 

RisingWave, in its quest to enhance software development velocity, recognized the need for a reliable DevOps platform. Their goal was to liberate developers from repetitive, mundane tasks, allowing them to focus on innovation and creativity. Despite the daunting prospect of migrating from their existing setup, they understood it was a crucial step for their technological evolution.

“Harness made it easy to migrate from GitHub actions to Harness CI. Courtesy of the Harness CI migration assistant we could automate the conversion of our pipelines, while the capability to run GitHub Actions within Harness ensured a seamless and effective switch to the Harness”  - Junfeng Wu, Software Engineer Manager, RisingWave Cloud

This transition was further enhanced by Harness CI's templating feature, which allowed developers to rapidly onboard new projects. Utilizing these templates accelerated the process and minimized the risk of errors through proven, trusted building blocks, simplifying both migration and onboarding. Additionally, the team at RisingWave was able to build more advanced pipelines using Harness CI and CD which enabled them to deliver software that matched their ideal software delivery process.

‍"The intuitive nature of Harness CI has made it a favorite among our developers. It allows us to focus on innovation rather than getting bogged down in processes. You can simply take a working pipeline and templatize any part of it, making it available for future projects. Templates helped us to quickly onboard new applications and optimize our build process" adds Jianwei Huang, Software Engineer, RisingWave QA team

The team at RisingWave Labs is using Harness CI Cloud for building their applications, which provides developers with reliable, fast builds that can easily scale. 

The Results: 50% faster build times

RisingWave’s adoption of Harness CI Cloud has been a pivotal move, not just streamlining their software development cycle but also resulting in considerable cost savings. The transition from GitHub-hosted builds to the more efficient Harness CI platform offered:

• Build Time Acceleration by 50%: A significant speed-up in the build process, courtesy of Harness CI's optimized cloud infrastructure.
• Developer productivity increased by 50%:  pipeline maintenance and speed, less context switch, and less PR merge time. 
• More advanced CI/CD pipeline creation that matches the business use cases
• Unified, streamlined development experience for both CI & CD pipelines

Previously, RisingWave Labs were using GitHub-hosted builds that offered slower machines at a higher cost. By moving to Harness CI, builds accelerated, reducing their cloud spend.

"By accelerating our build processes by 50%, Harness CI has not only enhanced our development speed but also led to substantial savings in build minutes." Junfeng Wu, Software Engineer Manager, RisingWave Cloud

The real testament to Harness CI's impact is the transformed developer experience at RisingWave Labs. Previously hindered by slower build processes and higher costs, the team found renewed efficiency and empowerment with Harness CI. This shift has been crucial in streamlining workflows and introducing unprecedented simplicity and speed.

"From a developer's perspective, Harness CI has been nothing short of transformative. The ease of use and reduced build times have significantly enhanced our work experience, boosting productivity by 50%." - Jianwei Huang, Software Engineer, RisingWave QA team

Conclusion

Harness CI's impact at RisingWave Labs went beyond just technical improvements; it fostered a culture of efficiency and innovation. The transition not only enhanced their development process but also set a new standard for their operational efficiency. Looking ahead, RisingWave leans on Harness CI as a fundamental pillar in its journey towards technological mastery, setting new benchmarks in DevOps efficiency and CI/CD innovation.