Containerisation as a modular, "full stack" methodology

Containerisation changes the way that we think about software in the cloud. It is not simply a technology, it is a methodology, and it applies not just to servers, but to every aspect of software development. Containerisation is a process of building modular, decoupled systems that can be stacked, layered and scaled according to patterns and rules. The same methodology can apply to servers, processes, specifications, user interfaces and even organisational structure. In other words, containerisation is a full stack methodology.

This talk explores some of the practical and theoretical elements of a full stack containerised approach. Topics covered will include:

• Componentised specification and testing processes
• Sharded, layered architectures (headless, multi-head, microservices)
• Compartmentalising business logic and assets from software implementation
• Pattern driven development
• No more "site upgrades" 

Merging disciplines

David O'Dwyer and Peter Brownell have been exploring how containerisation effects development processes for a few years. David's LiveWyer consultancy is working at the cutting edge of Kubernetes and Peter's CodePositive team specialises in long term, Drupal based organisational platforms. David and Peter have worked together for more than a decade. Their talk will cover some of the intersections of their practices, looking at how to practically apply containerisation methodology to the whole development process.

It's the beginning of something big

Containerisation fundamentally alters the landscape of the infrastructure that makes cloud services possible. Its moved so fast that most people outside of the devops community have hardly had time to notice it. The shift is yet another blurring of the line between hardware and software that began with the arrival of virtual machines at the turn of the millennium. The VM changed the world by allowing anyone to create a web service without hardware costs, leading to an exponential growth in the number of startups and web services. Containerisation is as big a change again. 

David O'Dwyer

David O'Dwyer is the founder of LiveWyer, a London based consultancy which specialise in infrastructure development built on open-source technology. Drawing on his broad systems architecture background, David and his team have been an active member of the Drupal UK community for over 7 years. Having presented talks during KubeCon, Amazon London and Cloud Expo Europe he is a major advocate for DevOps methodology and systems best-practise within the Drupal community. 

Peter Brownell

Peter Brownell is CEO of Code Positive. He established the UK Drupal community and has been a professional developer for 20 years. Over the last 10 years he has built has trained many Drupal teams, established a government recognised Drupal apprenticeship and built one of the first UK education startups. Since 2012 he has been working with a number of large digital agencies around the world to help them understand software development processes.