Introduction

This is part 1 of:

Explaining how Carlsberg unifies development on GitHub and accelerates innovation with Copilot in more detail.

Navigating Complexity: The Challenge of Multiple Development Tools

In the fast-paced world of software development, managing multiple tools can become a bottleneck that impedes efficiency and innovation. At Carlsberg, our developers and engineers were navigating a complex toolchain landscape that included GitHub, GitLab, BitBucket, Azure DevOps, Jenkins, Nexus, SonarQube, and both Azure and AWS Container Registries. This multiplicity not only slowed down our processes but also fragmented our development environment, leading to increased context-switching and security vulnerabilities.

Unified Platform: Adopting GitHub for Streamlined Operations

The decision to streamline our development tools into a single, integrated platform came as a strategic move to enhance our operational efficiency and bolster security measures. We chose GitHub as our all-encompassing platform for several reasons:

  • GitHub Source Control provides a robust system for tracking changes in computer files and coordinating work on those files among multiple people.
  • GitHub Actions makes it easier to automate all your software workflows, now with world-class CI/CD. Build, test, and deploy your code right from GitHub.
  • GitHub Packages serves as a software package hosting service that allows you to host your software packages privately or publicly and use packages as dependencies in your projects.

By migrating from Jenkins to GitHub Actions, from SonarQube to GitHub’s integrated code scanning features, and from Nexus and various container registries to GitHub Packages, we were able to retire outdated systems and reduce our toolchain complexity significantly.

Enhanced Productivity and Security: The Benefits of Consolidation

The consolidation has profoundly impacted our software development operations by centralizing source control and unifying the development environment. Our engineers now enjoy a streamlined workflow with reduced context-switching, thanks to a centralized pipeline and improved build and deployment processes managed through GitHub Actions. The centralization of package management through GitHub Packages has also enhanced the efficiency of managing and sharing package dependencies.

By reducing our tools from nine to one, we’ve not only simplified our technology stack but also enhanced our capability to manage projects more effectively, ensuring that our software development practices continue to support Carlsberg’s legacy of innovation.

Future Focus: Continuing Innovation at Carlsberg

As we continue to refine our approach and leverage the full potential of GitHub, our focus remains on innovation and efficiency. The journey of consolidating our development tools has been a pivotal step in our digital transformation strategy, positioning Carlsberg at the forefront of technological advancement in the beverage industry.