Editable Code Containers for Faster In-Container Deployment
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Solution Overview
Problem
The container development cycle is lengthy and resource-intensive due to the need for extensive processes like pushing changes to a change management system, building, testing, and deploying applications in non-production environments, which is exacerbated by issues such as forgetting log statements or needing additional information during development.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating an editable source code, a code editor, and build tools within a software application container, allowing developers to edit and build applications directly within the container, with a server controlling execution and deployment, enabling quick updates and deployments without rebuilding the entire container.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If developers use traditional container deployment processes, then application portability and environment isolation are improved, but development time and deployment complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the source code repository, build tools, test environment, and deployment container into a single integrated development container. This consolidation eliminates the need for separate build servers and QA environments, allowing developers to perform all development activities within one container instance, thereby reducing development time while maintaining environment isolation.
Solution Approach 2:
The development container is designed to serve multiple functions: it acts as both the build environment and the runtime environment, and can be used for development, testing, and deployment. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for multiple specialized environments, reducing the overall development cycle time while preserving the benefits of isolated containerized execution.
2Adaptability or versatility
If developers push changes through the entire build and deployment process, then application updates are achieved, but the process becomes lengthy and resource-intensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic container instantiation where new container instances are created on-demand for each development iteration. Instead of rebuilding and redeploying to existing production containers, the system dynamically spawns new container instances with updated code, allowing rapid iteration without affecting the stability of production environments. This dynamic approach maintains adaptability while significantly improving deployment efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the deployment process by creating separate, isolated container instances for different versions of the application. Each container instance represents a discrete deployable unit, allowing developers to update individual containers without affecting others. This segmentation enables parallel development and testing of multiple versions simultaneously, improving both adaptability and deployment efficiency.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a new container image is created for every code change, then application updates are achieved, but resource consumption and build time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary actions by pre-configuring the development container with all necessary build tools, dependencies, and source code during container initialization. This preliminary setup eliminates the need for repeated build processes for each code change, as developers can directly test and deploy within the pre-prepared container environment, reducing both resource consumption and build time while maintaining full code update capability.
Data Source
AI summary
An embodiment of the present invention may enable editing and deployment of software by including in an application container editable source code used to produce an application, and tools to edit and build the application, such as a code editor and a build tool to convert the source code to the executable application. The container may include an executable application which may execute in the environment on which the container is saved. A server in the container may control execution of the executable application and build the executable application. A remote user computer may communicate with the code editor to edit the source code, which in its updated version may be built to produce an updated version of the executable application. The server may stop execution of the existing executable application, and start execution of the updated version of the executable application.