Always Ship Trunk: Managing Change In Complex Websites

Version control systems are essential for managing any slightly complex software project, but few teams have given much thought about how to get the most out of their repository.

The most common best practices for source control are based on the needs of shrink wrap or open source software. Running a website is different, and needs different approaches to tracking modifications.

This session will take an in-depth look at the idea of shipping trunk and branching in code. We’ve found that this technique reduces the risks associated with change, allowing you to:

• Deploy frequently, facilitating rapid product iteration
• Avoid large merges and the associated integration testing
• Easily perform A/B testing of functionality
• Run QA and beta testing on production hardware
• Launch big features without worrying about your infrastructure
• Provide all the switches your operations team needs to manage the deployed system

We’ll discuss how (and why) you’d want to do all this, and cover some of the downsides of this technique.

The ideas discussed will be useful for both developers and operations, and will work with any revision control system from CVS to Git.