Breaking Down CI/CD Bottlenecks with Real-Time Telemetry Insights
Observability is crucial for modern software delivery, enabling teams to track performance, diagnose issues, and optimize workflows. However, CI/CD pipelines often pose challenges—especially when dealing with complex configurations and limited visibility into version usage. To address this, Liatrio developed a scalable, event-driven solution using CI/CD components, OpenTelemetry, and OpenObserve, allowing teams to unlock actionable telemetry and drive continuous improvement.
CI/CD Components: Modular but Not Without Challenges
The introduction of CI/CD components in platforms like GitLab was intended to modularize workflows, similar to GitHub Actions. Components are stored in structured templates folders with dedicated inputs, solving common problems like variable clobbering. Additionally, CI/CD catalogs act as developer portals, helping teams quickly access shared components.
Despite these advancements, challenges persist. The merging of configuration files into large, nested YAML structures complicates version tracking and usage monitoring. This complexity hinders teams from identifying which versions of components are active across projects.
Liatrio’s Event-Driven Telemetry Solution
To tackle these limitations, Liatrio developed a GitLab processor that integrates with OpenTelemetry, allowing teams to dynamically track and monitor version usage across pipelines. Here’s how it works:
- CI/CD events are emitted to a webhook receiver connected to an OpenTelemetry collector.
- The processor parses YAML files, identifies component names and versions, and attaches this information to events.
- Events are forwarded to OpenObserve, where dashboards provide real-time insights into version usage and pipeline health.
This event-driven approach ensures that telemetry data is continuously captured and updated without requiring manual interventions or fragile scripts.
Unlocking Actionable Insights with Telemetry
Within minutes of deploying this solution, teams can visualize component usage across CI/CD pipelines using real-time dashboards. By tracking key metrics, they can quickly spot outdated components, problematic versions, or inconsistencies across projects.
For example, if a specific version introduces errors, teams can easily identify where it’s being used and either downgrade or update it as needed. By extending telemetry beyond logs to traces, teams gain deeper insights into failure points and bottlenecks, driving faster troubleshooting and proactive optimization.
Why OpenObserve is Ideal for Telemetry Storage
In our demo, OpenObserve served as a self-hosted backend for storing telemetry data. Unlike traditional observability platforms that often require multiple data stores, OpenObserve consolidates telemetry data efficiently into a single backend. It’s cost-effective, scalable, and ideal for long-term storage—making it a strong option for organizations with self-hosting requirements.
Driving Continuous Improvement Through Observability
With Liatrio’s telemetry solution, teams can overcome native CI/CD limitations and gain full visibility into their pipelines. By tracking component versions and pipeline health externally, they maintain flexibility, reduce downtime, and continuously optimize their delivery pipelines.
Ready to unlock meaningful telemetry in your CI/CD processes? Contact Liatrio today to explore how we can help transform your software delivery and observability strategy.