What caused the sudden spike in failed builds on CloudBees CI/CD pipelines across multiple customer accounts yesterday?

Introduction

The sudden spike in failed builds on CloudBees CI/CD pipelines across multiple customer accounts yesterday is a critical issue that demands immediate attention and thorough analysis. As we delve into this problem, we'll follow a systematic approach to identify the root cause, validate our hypotheses, and develop both short-term fixes and long-term solutions.

Our analysis will cover the entire spectrum of potential causes, from technical glitches to user behavior changes, ensuring we leave no stone unturned. We'll prioritize data-driven decision-making and consider the broader implications for our product ecosystem and customer satisfaction.

Step 1

Clarifying Questions (3 minutes)

• Looking at the multi-account impact, I'm thinking this could be a system-wide issue. Can you confirm if all customer accounts were affected or if it was limited to specific regions or account types?

Why it matters: This helps determine if it's a global system issue or a more localized problem. Expected answer: Affected accounts span multiple regions and account types. Impact on approach: If global, we'd focus on core infrastructure; if localized, we'd investigate regional or account-specific factors.

• Considering the sudden nature of the spike, I'm wondering about recent deployments. Were any significant updates pushed to the CI/CD system in the 24-48 hours preceding the incident?

Why it matters: Recent changes are often culprits in sudden performance shifts. Expected answer: A minor update was deployed 12 hours before the incident. Impact on approach: If confirmed, we'd prioritize investigating the recent deployment for potential issues.

• Given the complexity of CI/CD pipelines, I'm curious about the specific stage where builds are failing. Do we have data on which part of the pipeline (e.g., compilation, testing, deployment) is most commonly failing?

Why it matters: Pinpointing the failing stage narrows down potential root causes. Expected answer: Failures are predominantly occurring during the testing phase. Impact on approach: We'd focus our investigation on test environment issues or test script problems.

• Considering external dependencies, I'm thinking about third-party integrations. Have there been any reported outages or issues with major integrated services (e.g., source control systems, artifact repositories) during this time?

Why it matters: External dependencies can cause cascading failures in CI/CD systems. Expected answer: No major outages reported, but some latency issues with a popular artifact repository. Impact on approach: We'd investigate how external service performance impacts our pipeline stability.