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Version: Deploy 22.2

Get started with DevOps as Code

DevOps as Code provides developers and other technical users with an alternative way to interact with the Digital.ai release orchestration and deployment automation products using text-based specifications to define application artifacts, resource specifications and releases and a simple command line interface to execute them.

Support for DevOps as Code is provided by a new command line interface called XL CLI and the DevOps as Code YAML format.

  • XL Command Line Interface (XL CLI) - A lightweight command line interface that enables developers to use text-based artifacts to interact with our DevOps products without using the GUIs.
  • DevOps as Code YAML format – A declarative file format that you can use to construct specifications that can be executed by Digital.ai release orchestration and deployment automation products.

DevOps as Code enables you to:

  • Manage your YAML files like code using your preferred source code management system, allowing you to easily version, distribute and reuse them.
  • Better support complex, multi-step workflows and specifications previously configured using the Digital.ai DevOps product GUIs and enabling you to alternatively use YAML files to accomplish the same objectives.
  • Minimize human error inherent in GUI configuration by using text-based specifications.
  • Interchangeably use the XL CLI to execute provisioning, deployment and release orchestration activities while still being able to see them reflected in Digital.ai product GUIs.
  • Get started quickly with DevOps as Code by exporting existing configuration information to YAML files from our DevOps products and executing them using the XL CLI.

Resources to get started​

Learn the basics​

Get up and running with DevOps as Code:

  1. Watch this 3-minute video for an introduction to the DevOps as Code features.
  2. Install the XL Command Line Interface for your operating system and perform some initial configuration.
  3. Try out the CLI. Open a terminal and type xl help for the inline syntax. Review the command reference for more detailed syntax and usage examples.
  4. Get to know the Deploy and Release YAML file formats including root metadata, each available kind, and the Spec section where configuration details are expressed.
  5. Review the Deploy YAML snippets and Release YAML snippets for Deploy and Release to help you start with creating and managing your own YAML files.

Tutorials and workshops​

Review and try scenarios for how to use DevOps as Code:

  • Tutorial: Manage an Release template as code. This simple tutorial shows how to create a folder and template in Release by generating an existing release orchestration template configuration to a YAML file, making a change in the YAML specification, and applying the revised YAML file back to the release orchestration engine.
  • Tutorial: Deploy to AWS using blueprints. This detailed tutorial describes how to use a Deploy/Release Blueprint to create a simple microservices application on Amazon Web Services (AWS).
  • DevOps as Code workshop: Use this interactive GitHub-based workshop to:
    • Install the XL CLI
    • Import and deploy a Docker application
    • Import and run a pipeline
    • Generate YAML files to learn about the syntax
    • Provision a container infrastructure into AWS with CloudFormation and then deploy a simple monolith application into it