Automated Build Pipeline for Deployment Artifact Certification

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional techniques for certifying deployment artifacts are manual, cumbersome, and error-prone, failing to effectively ensure that deployment artifacts meet rigorous testing and security vulnerability requirements for target runtime environments.

Innovation Solution

A build system that generates deployment artifacts by executing a build pipeline with multiple tasks, including source code compilation, security analysis, and certification criteria evaluation, to determine whether the artifact is certified for deployment, while also managing software assets and generating reports for source code repositories.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If manual certification techniques are used for deployment artifacts, then flexibility in handling diverse certification criteria is maintained, but error rate increases and reliability decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecertification accuracyVSAvoidmanual operation complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The build system automatically performs certification by executing build tasks and evaluating certification criteria without human intervention. The system self-certifies deployment artifacts by comparing build results against stored criteria, eliminating manual errors while maintaining operational flexibility through automated decision-making

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

Manual mechanical certification processes are replaced with automated computational systems. The build system uses automated build tasks and electronic evaluation mechanisms to assess certification criteria, substituting human manual operations with reliable automated processes that reduce errors while handling diverse criteria

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Productivity

If automated build pipeline is implemented, then productivity increases and errors are reduced, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedeployment artifact generation speedVSAvoidbuild system complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The build system is segmented into distinct modular components: build task execution module, certification criteria storage module, and evaluation module. Each component handles specific functions independently, allowing the system to achieve high productivity through automated pipelines while managing complexity through clear separation of concerns and reusable modules

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The build system implements universal, reusable build tasks and certification criteria that can be applied across multiple deployment scenarios. Standardized task templates and criteria structures allow the system to handle diverse certification requirements without proportionally increasing complexity, as the same framework serves multiple purposes

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Reliability

If rigorous testing and security scanning are performed, then reliability of deployment artifacts improves, but loss of time increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedeployment artifact qualityVSAvoidcertification process duration

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

Certification criteria are stored and prepared in advance within the build system, and build tasks are configured to execute comprehensive testing and security scanning as part of the standard build pipeline. By performing rigorous certification checks automatically during the build process rather than as separate post-processing steps, the system ensures high reliability without significant time loss

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The build pipeline executes certification tasks continuously as part of the deployment artifact generation process. Testing and security scanning occur seamlessly during the build workflow without interruption or separate manual intervention, maintaining continuous productive action while ensuring thorough certification of deployment artifacts

Inventive Principle:

Principle #20Continuity of useful action

Data Source

PatentUS11467810B2Certifying deployment artifacts generated from source code using a build pipeline

Publication Date: 2022.10.11 HUMANA INC

AI summary

A build system stores source code in source code repositories and generates deployment artifacts from a build pipeline. The build system receives requirements associated with certification criteria for certifying a deployment artifact based on the source code. The build system executes a build pipeline including build tasks that compile the source code to generate executable files storing executable instructions. The build system evaluates the certification criteria based on results of execution of the build tasks. The build system determines whether the deployment artifact is a certified deployment artifact based on the result of evaluation of the certification criteria. The build system stores a software asset information document in a source code repository identifying software assets build using the source code repository, for example, as a YAML file. The builds system generates reports that relate information describing source code repositories with software assets built using the source code repositories.