Abstract
The increasing adoption of DevOps practices in software development has
emphasized the need for efficient and reliable CI/CD (Continuous
Integration and Continuous Delivery/Deployment) workflows. These
workflows generate extensive log files that capture execution details,
changes, and errors. This paper proposes the utilization of microprints
to detect errors in CI/CD workflows by visually inspecting their logs.
We highlight the challenges of manually inspecting logs, particularly in
identifying unreported errors not flagged by CI/CD platforms. By
leveraging microprints, the ability of developers and maintainers to
quickly and accurately detect and diagnose issues within these logs is
enhanced. We implemented a suite of tools to make use of microprints in
CI/CD workflows and to demonstrate the effectiveness of the microprint
visualization through a user study, showcasing its potential to improve
error detection and workflow efficiency in DevOps environments.