Open source continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD) project Werf joined the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF). The nautically themed platform is designed to advance adoption of integrated cloud-native technologies that support CI/CD best practices for applications running in Kubernetes.

The name Werf, which translates from Dutch to shipyard, falls in line with aptly-named container technology and Kubernetes – meaning helmsman in Greek. Werf represents "a place to maintain the ships delivering those containers to our production. It’s a foundation for robust delivery," a Werf spokesperson told SDxCentral.

When the project started seven years ago, "we didn’t see a reason to reinvent the wheel," they said. "It seemed much more reasonable to leverage existing technologies and integrate them smartly."

Werf uses Buildah to create container images, then it publishes and stores images in Docker-compatible container registries before deploying images to Kubernetes using Helm. It also integrates with other CI systems like GitLab CI/CD and GitHub Actions and uses Dockerfiles and Helm charts for configuration. Relying on widely used formats like these keep "things compatible and easy to maintain."

Werf's cloud-native technology integrations are "the most used and mature ones – if they meet our requirements in terms of functionality. And if not, we can improve them correspondingly. Sticking to them will help our users get comfortable much faster and make the whole multi-component system more understandable," they explained.

The project doesn't anticipate its internal tech lineup will change much, aside from additional integrations. The project recently added basic Argo CD support to provide optionality around establishing CD with a GitOps model. The team is also considering the addition of Kustomize support and embedding a dedicated local development tool like DevSpace.

The Werf project supports the development and operations side of DevOps. With an "opinionated approach," specific rules for engineer use, and deployment observability and container image cleanup technologies under the hood, Werf simplifies implementation and maintenance for the ops side.

It also provides "comprehensible guidelines for developers," the spokesperson noted. "Their interaction with Kubernetes – and ops in general – became more coherent and predictable." Other features for developers include an advanced caching system and guaranteed build reproducibility.