Reinventing how .NET builds and ships (again)
15 hours ago
- #.NET
- #Software Development
- #Build Systems
- The article discusses the challenges and evolution of .NET's build and shipping infrastructure, focusing on the transition from a distributed repository model to a 'virtual monolithic' repository approach.
- Key issues with the distributed model include high complexity and overhead, leading to slow and unpredictable build times, especially during security updates or when coordinating across multiple teams.
- The Unified Build project is introduced as a solution, aiming to streamline product construction by consolidating builds into 'vertical builds' while still allowing contributors to work outside the monolith.
- The article highlights the advantages of the distributed model, such as layering, community focus, and asynchronous development, but notes its inefficiency for rapid, coordinated product releases.
- Product Construction Complexity and Overhead are identified as major drawbacks, with complexity referring to the steps required for a change to reach customers, and overhead as time not spent producing shippable artifacts.
- The Source Build initiative, initially for Linux distros, inspired Unified Build by demonstrating faster build times and lower complexity, though it had limitations like single-platform builds and exclusion of certain assets.
- Unified Build's goals include a single git commit denoting all product source, efficient updates, and the ability for distro maintainers to meet provenance and build environment requirements without Microsoft services.
- The implementation of Unified Build involved phases like initial design, foundational work, vertical build exploration, and productization, culminating in its release with .NET 10 RTM.
- Results from Unified Build include improved flexibility, predictability, and speed in builds, with signed builds now completing in under 7 hours, down from 24 hours in previous versions.
- Future directions for Unified Build include enhancing developer workflow and UX, particularly around code flow, and exploring AI agents to monitor and troubleshoot the build process.