Can You Start Your Application?

Hi,

Many companies utilize modern technologies. Kubernetes, RabbitMQ, AWS, Docker, ArgoCD… and so on. The selection is vast. The CNCF Landscape has arrived in most businesses.

But what surprises me: The software is complicated.

So complicated that it can’t just be launched locally on a whim.

I did not expect that.

Docker is deliberately included in the list. Because most of the companies I spoke to use Docker. Many of them in production.

And that’s exactly why I’m so puzzled. Why must the applications be so complex that they can’t be started locally at any time?

Even if the problem that the software solves is inherently so complex that it requires many components - Docker can fully simulate that. Locally.

It’s so important to get quick feedback.

That’s why we write more unit tests than integration tests.

That’s why we make sure our applications can start quickly.

That’s why we consistently keep an eye on our log when we run the application.

And that’s why it’s so important that we can always and at any time start our application end-to-end on our computer - locally.

If you can’t immediately verify a change in the code under the most realistic conditions possible. If you have to push, build and deploy your code first. If you first have to open your ELK or Loki.

Then you don’t have immediate feedback. Every test becomes a chore. It’s always exhausting. The result: You test less. You experiment less. And you dare to clean up like a Boy Scout less often.

Always make sure you can test locally. Make sure it’s fast. You will be much more efficient.

Rule the Backend,

~ Marcus