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How to implement CI/CD strategies for monorepos

Greg Foster
Greg Foster
Graphite software engineer
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Implementing effective CI/CD strategies for monorepos is important for maintaining efficiency and scalability in software development. By automating builds, tests, and deployments, teams can manage complex codebases more effectively, reduce integration issues, and accelerate delivery cycles. This guide provides a comprehensive overview of best practices, tools, and examples to help you optimize your monorepo CI/CD workflows.

Monorepos offer several advantages:

  • Unified version control: Simplifies dependency management and ensures consistency across projects.

  • Atomic commits: Facilitates changes across multiple projects simultaneously.

  • Streamlined workflows: Enables cohesive management of cross-project dependencies.

To avoid unnecessary builds, configure your CI system to trigger builds only for affected projects. Tools like Bazel, Gradle, and Buck can analyze the dependency graph to determine what needs to be rebuilt based on changes.

Centralize version definitions to maintain consistency across the monorepo. Tools like Lerna (for JavaScript/TypeScript), Dependabot, and Renovate can help manage dependencies effectively.

Implement access controls using tools like GitHub's CODEOWNERS file to manage who can approve changes to specific parts of the repository.

Use path-based triggers in your CI/CD pipelines to run jobs only when specific parts of the codebase change. For example, GitHub Actions supports path filtering to trigger workflows based on file changes.

Optimize your CI/CD pipelines by running tests and builds in parallel where possible. This approach reduces build times and improves efficiency.

Deploy individual services independently within the monorepo. Containerization allows for separate deployment and testing of microservices.

Implement deployment strategies like blue-green or canary deployments to minimize downtime and risk. These methods allow you to deploy new versions alongside existing ones and gradually shift traffic.

Implementing CI/CD strategies in monorepos involves careful planning and the right tooling. By focusing on selective builds, effective dependency management, workflow automation, and leveraging tools like the ones mentioned above, you can streamline your development processes and enhance collaboration across teams.

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