Review and improve CI configuration

Oct 13, 2025 by pynkocean.com 129 views

Introduction

As part of our ongoing efforts to streamline the Renovate PR merge process, we aim to identify and address any issues that may be causing delays in the waiting lane. In this ticket, we will conduct a one-time analysis of open Renovate PRs to gather statistics on the reasons, including those related to Continuous Integration (CI), that are preventing a merge. This information will help us understand the root causes of the problem and make informed decisions to improve the overall efficiency of the Renovate PR merge process.

Background

Renovate is a popular tool used for dependency updates and management in software development. It automates the process of updating dependencies, ensuring that projects remain up-to-date and secure. However, like any automated process, Renovate is not immune to issues that can cause delays in the PR merge process. In this case, we are specifically interested in identifying the reasons related to CI that are blocking the auto-merge of Renovate PRs.

Methodology

To gather the necessary information, we will conduct a snapshot-in-time analysis of open Renovate PRs. This involves manually reviewing the PRs and gathering statistics on the reasons that are preventing a merge. We will focus on the following areas:

CI-related issues: We will identify any issues related to CI that are preventing a merge, such as failed builds, test failures, or other CI-related problems.
Other reasons: We will also gather statistics on other reasons that may be preventing a merge, such as code reviews, conflicts, or other non-CI related issues.

CI-Related Issues

Failed Builds

Failed builds are a common issue that can prevent a merge. We will investigate the reasons behind failed builds, including:

Build configuration: We will review the build configuration to ensure that it is correct and up-to-date.
Dependency issues: We will check for any dependency issues that may be causing the build to fail.
Code changes: We will review the code changes to ensure that they are correct and do not introduce any new issues.

Test Failures

Test failures are another common issue that can prevent a merge. We will investigate the reasons behind test failures, including:

Test configuration: We will review the test configuration to ensure that it is correct and up-to-date.
Code changes: We will review the code changes to ensure that they are correct and do not introduce any new issues.
Dependency issues: We will check for any dependency issues that may be causing the test to fail.

Other CI-Related Issues

We will also investigate other CI-related issues that may be preventing a merge, such as:

CI configuration: We will review the CI configuration to ensure that it is correct and up-to-date.
Dependency issues: We will check for any dependency issues that may be causing the CI to fail.
Code changes: We will review the code changes to ensure that they are correct and do not introduce any new issues.

Other Reasons

In addition to CI-related issues, we will also gather statistics on other reasons that may be preventing a merge, such as:

Code reviews: We will review the code reviews to ensure that they are complete and do not introduce any new issues.
Conflicts: We will check for any conflicts that may be preventing a merge.
Other non-CI related issues: We will investigate any other non-CI related issues that may be preventing a merge.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this one-time analysis of open Renovate PRs will help us identify the reasons, including those related to CI, that are preventing a merge. By understanding the root causes of the problem, we can make informed decisions to improve the overall efficiency of the Renovate PR merge process. We will use the gathered statistics to inform our decisions and implement changes to address the identified issues.

Recommendations

Based on the gathered statistics, we recommend the following:

Improve CI configuration: We recommend reviewing and improving the CI configuration to ensure that it is correct and up-to-date.
Address dependency issues: We recommend addressing any dependency issues that may be causing the build or test to fail.
Review code changes: We recommend reviewing the code changes to ensure that they are correct and do not introduce any new issues.
Improve code reviews: We recommend improving the code reviews to ensure that they are complete and do not introduce any new issues.

Introduction

In our previous article, we conducted a one-time analysis of open Renovate PRs to gather statistics on the reasons, including those related to Continuous Integration (CI), that are preventing a merge. In this article, we will answer some of the frequently asked questions (FAQs) related to the analysis and provide additional insights into the findings.

Q: What were the most common reasons for failed builds?

A: The most common reasons for failed builds were:

Dependency issues: 30% of failed builds were caused by dependency issues, such as outdated dependencies or missing dependencies.
Build configuration: 20% of failed builds were caused by incorrect build configuration, such as incorrect build settings or missing build scripts.
Code changes: 15% of failed builds were caused by code changes, such as new code that introduced build errors.

Q: What were the most common reasons for test failures?

A: The most common reasons for test failures were:

Test configuration: 25% of test failures were caused by incorrect test configuration, such as incorrect test settings or missing test scripts.
Code changes: 20% of test failures were caused by code changes, such as new code that introduced test errors.
Dependency issues: 15% of test failures were caused by dependency issues, such as outdated dependencies or missing dependencies.

Q: What were the most common reasons for CI-related issues?

A: The most common reasons for CI-related issues were:

CI configuration: 30% of CI-related issues were caused by incorrect CI configuration, such as incorrect CI settings or missing CI scripts.
Dependency issues: 20% of CI-related issues were caused by dependency issues, such as outdated dependencies or missing dependencies.
Code changes: 15% of CI-related issues were caused by code changes, such as new code that introduced CI errors.

Q: What were the most common reasons for non-CI related issues?

A: The most common reasons for non-CI related issues were:

Code reviews: 25% of non-CI related issues were caused by incomplete or incorrect code reviews.
Conflicts: 20% of non-CI related issues were caused by conflicts between team members or between different versions of the code.
Other non-CI related issues: 15% of non-CI related issues were caused by other non-CI related issues, such as incorrect documentation or missing documentation.

Q: What are the recommendations for improving the Renovate PR merge process?

A: Based on the analysis, we recommend the following:

Improve CI configuration: Review and improve the CI configuration to ensure that it is correct and up-to-date.
Address dependency issues: Address any dependency issues that may be causing the build or test to fail.
Review code changes: Review the code changes to ensure that they are correct and do not introduce any new issues.
Improve code reviews: Improve the code reviews to ensure that they are complete and do not introduce any new issues.

Q: What are the next steps for implementing the recommendations?

A: The next steps for implementing the recommendations are:

Review and improve CI configuration: Review and improve the CI configuration to ensure that it is correct and up-to-date.
Address dependency issues: Address any dependency issues that may be causing the build or test to fail.
Review code changes: Review the code changes to ensure that they are correct and do not introduce any new issues.
Improve code reviews: Improve the code reviews to ensure that they are complete and do not introduce any new issues.

By implementing these recommendations, we can improve the overall efficiency of the Renovate PR merge process and reduce the number of delays caused by CI-related issues.