Blockchain and DevOps for your business: Faster progress or slowing down?

Around 77% of companies now rely on DevOps to roll out updates faster and keep their systems flexible. But as blockchain makes its way into more industries, promising data security and streamlined compliance, teams are now asking a key question: can DevOps on blockchain make a significant difference? Or does it just add more complexity?

The idea is appealing: blockchain could bring an extra layer of security and transparency, making DevOps pipelines more resilient. But there’s a flip side. Blockchain’s immutable nature, high infrastructure costs, and the intense testing demands for smart contracts are real obstacles.

In this article, we’ll explore whether DevOps on blockchain has what it takes to boost deployment speed and security—or if it’s a bold idea that still needs a lot of refining.

Defining DevOps on blockchain

To understand DevOps on blockchain, we need to first grasp the basics of DevOps. 

As shown in the diagram above, DevOps is a methodology that combines software development (Dev) and operations (Ops) into a continuous cycle aimed at delivering software faster, with greater reliability and efficiency. 

In a typical DevOps pipeline, each phase—such as coding, building, testing, and deploying—is connected in an automated loop that streamlines collaboration between development and operations teams. This continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) approach makes it possible to release small, frequent updates to production environments, reducing the risk of errors and enabling rapid adaptation to user feedback.

In blockchain development, unlike traditional DevOps, where code changes and infrastructure modifications can be easily rolled back or overwritten, blockchain’s immutability means every action is permanently recorded. This creates a tamper-proof audit trail but also complicates processes like testing, debugging, and rollback, as mistakes cannot simply be undone.

For instance, if a bug is discovered in a blockchain-enabled application, developers can’t revert to a previous version as they would in a standard DevOps pipeline. Instead, they may need to apply additional “patches” or deploy new versions of smart contracts, which demands careful planning and precise version control.

While this limits flexibility, it adds a layer of security and accountability, ensuring every change is transparent and unalterable—key advantages in sectors where data integrity and compliance are essential.

Key components of a blockchain DevOps

As the shift from traditional Web2 to decentralized Web3 occurs, DevOps practices need to adapt to the unique challenges of blockchain technology. 

Here’s a quick comparison of traditional DevOps versus blockchain DevOps:

With this comparative framework in mind, let’s delve into the key components of the DevOps blockchain.

Version control

Version control, primarily managed through tools like Git, is the backbone of code collaboration in DevOps. It tracks every change in the codebase, allowing developers to work on features independently and merge them without disrupting the main codebase.

In a blockchain DevOps setup, version control ensures that all code changes—especially those affecting smart contracts—are traceable, facilitating the application of patches on deployed contracts and maintaining a reliable code history. Automated CI tools connected to version control further validate these changes, helping catch issues early.

Infrastructure as code (IaC)

Infrastructure as Code (IaC) uses code to automate the setup and management of infrastructure, from servers to network configurations. Tools like Terraform and Ansible allow DevOps teams to script their infrastructure, making it easy to replicate environments across development, testing, and production.

In a blockchain DevOps pipeline, IaC ensures consistency when deploying nodes or setting up networks across a decentralized environment. This consistency is key for maintaining reliability in a distributed system, especially as blockchain networks grow and scale.

As technology evolves, the approach to IaC is set to change by 2025, reflecting the latest trends and best practices. To explore these developments, check out Dysnix’s article on What is Infrastructure as Code.

Continuous integration / continuous deployment (CI/CD)

CI/CD pipelines handle the automation of integrating and deploying code, pushing updates from development to production quickly and with minimal risk. For blockchain-based DevOps, CI/CD automates the testing and deployment of new smart contract versions, decentralized applications (dApps), and blockchain-integrated microservices.

By using tools like GitLab CI or GitHub Actions, teams can set up pipelines that run rigorous tests on each update, ensuring that smart contracts, dApps, and code changes function as expected. Deployment strategies like canary releases and blue-green deployments help minimize disruption by gradually rolling out changes and enabling quick rollbacks if issues are detected.

Automated testing and quality control

Automated testing validates code at every stage, from individual units to full integrations, ensuring that changes don’t break existing functionality. In blockchain DevOps, testing is especially critical for smart contracts, as they are immutable once deployed.

Tools like Selenium for UI tests, JUnit for Java, or PyTest for Python automate testing, while static code analysis tools like SonarQube catch vulnerabilities before deployment. With smart contracts, automated testing ensures that contract logic is sound and secure, reducing the risk of costly errors in the blockchain environment.

Containerization and orchestration

Containers are managed through Docker, package applications, and their dependencies, making them portable across different environments. In blockchain DevOps, containers simplify the deployment of blockchain nodes and related services, ensuring consistency across decentralized environments. Kubernetes orchestrates these containers, managing scaling, load balancing, and recovery.

Using Kubernetes, teams can deploy and manage multiple blockchain nodes efficiently, ensuring high availability and fault tolerance in a distributed system, which is critical for maintaining the decentralized nature of blockchain networks.

Monitoring and logging

Monitoring and logging provide visibility into the health and performance of applications and infrastructure. In a blockchain DevOps context, tools like Prometheus and Grafana monitor the health of blockchain nodes, tracking metrics such as memory use and response times. ELK Stack (Elasticsearch, Logstash, Kibana) or PLG (Promtail, Loki, Grafana) collects and analyzes logs, helping teams detect issues or security threats in real-time.

Alerts notify teams immediately of any anomalies, allowing rapid response to issues that could compromise the integrity or performance of the blockchain network. 

How companies integrate DevOps and Blockchain

Here are some specific ways companies are leveraging DevOps in their blockchain projects:

1. Automated monitoring and logging
   Organizations can use blockchain’s unchangeable ledger to automatically track and log everything they do, like code changes and updates. This method gives them a clear and secure record of all actions, making it easier to spot and fix issues quickly.
   
   ChainSafe utilizes Ethereum smart contracts in their development workflow to ensure consistent configurations and track all actions as secure transactions. This implementation enhances accountability and allows for efficient monitoring of their decentralized applications. 

2. Transparent audit trail with digital signatures
   Digital signatures connect each user's actions to their identity, creating a reliable record of who changed what and when. This is super helpful for projects with multiple teams. It allows project managers and auditors to check compliance and review changes easily.
   
   In projects like Hyperledger Fabric, digital signatures are employed to create a transparent audit trail, linking user actions to their identities. This feature is particularly useful in multi-team environments, as it enables project managers and auditors to easily verify compliance and review changes, ensuring accountability and traceability throughout the project lifecycle.

3. Built-in security for DevSecOps
   Blockchain enhances DevSecOps by integrating security tests early in the development process. Smart contracts can kick off vulnerability scans and authentication checks at important stages, logging the results as secure transactions. This proactive approach boosts security and helps teams catch issues quickly.
   
   Ethereum showcases how security can be embedded in DevOps processes through smart contracts. Tools like OpenZeppelin facilitate automated vulnerability scans and authentication tests during development. For instance, by integrating security audits directly into CI/CD pipelines, developers can quickly identify and mitigate vulnerabilities, reinforcing the overall security posture of their applications.

4. Service quality assurance and SLA management
   Blockchain starts tracking service quality from day one, noting any departures from agreed standards. Tools like DSLA Protocol use blockchain for automatic SLA management. They reward vendors who hit performance goals and compensate customers if service levels fall short.
   
   DSLA Protocol exemplifies the use of blockchain for service quality assurance. By logging all service interactions on the blockchain, DSLA tracks performance metrics and employs smart contracts for automatic SLA management. This approach rewards vendors who meet performance standards and compensates customers when service levels drop, enhancing trust and reliability in service delivery.

5 key steps to implementing DevOps in blockchain projects

1: Infrastructure setup and node configuration

Set up blockchain nodes using Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools like Terraform. Decide between full, light, or archive nodes based on your project requirements, and configure network security, including SSL/TLS. Use Kubernetes for node orchestration to ensure scalability and high availability across decentralized environments.

2: Smart contract lifecycle management

Develop and test smart contracts locally with frameworks like Truffle, ensuring security with tools like Mocha. Integrate CI/CD for automated testing and deployment, with staging on public testnets (e.g., Sepolia) to verify functionality before production.

3: Integrating automation and CI/CD pipelines

Automate the build, test, and deploy stages in CI/CD pipelines using Github Actions or GitLab CI. Connect to version control for trigger-based deployments, and include automated tests to validate contract security and performance on each change.

4: Implementing continuous monitoring and logging

Set up real-time monitoring with Prometheus and Grafana to track node health, and collect application business & performance metrics. Configure alerts for immediate responses to issues, ensuring continuous visibility into blockchain and application performance.

5: Security audits and compliance management

Run regular security audits with tools like MythX and include compliance checks in CI/CD. Ensure all smart contract interactions are logged for traceability, supporting regulatory compliance and securing the blockchain DevOps workflow.

For blockchain-related microservices, utilizing additional tools like SonarQube, Trivy, and Snyk can enhance your security posture. 

SonarQube can be employed to conduct static code analysis, helping to detect code quality issues and vulnerabilities in your microservices. 

Trivy serves as a vulnerability scanner for container images and file systems, providing insights into known vulnerabilities across your application dependencies. 

Snyk can be utilized to monitor and fix vulnerabilities in open-source libraries, ensuring that your entire tech stack remains secure.

Consider RPC Fast as your blockchain DevOps partner

We’re not here to convince you that we’re the best choice for Blockchain DevOps. Instead, we encourage you to consider the facts and compare us with other providers. At RPC Fast, we specialize in efficient, scalable, and cost-effective DevOps solutions tailored for Web3 projects, so you can focus on growth while we handle the complex technical demands.

Our battle-tested solutions have helped top-tier blockchain projects optimize infrastructure, scale up to 2 billion daily requests, and reduce latency to as low as 0.08 seconds. We’ve had the privilege of working with leaders in the field, including TON, Polygon, zkSync, and Solana, delivering real results in infrastructure cost savings and scalability.

Why choose RPC Fast?

• Our infrastructure solutions are built to handle billions of requests daily.
• We’ve helped clients save over $20M in infrastructure costs with optimized setups.
• Our dedicated Web3 DevOps team provides end-to-end support, from setup to continuous monitoring.

With us, you’re choosing a partner who understands the unique challenges of blockchain DevOps and has the experience to deliver exceptional results. 

Are there any drawbacks to blockchain DevOps?

While blockchain DevOps offers substantial benefits like enhanced security, transparency, and decentralized automation, it also comes with its own set of challenges. One major drawback is the complexity of managing and testing smart contracts—once deployed, they’re immutable, meaning any errors or vulnerabilities remain permanent. This requires thorough testing and often more cautious deployment strategies, which can slow down the agile pace that DevOps usually provides.

Another limitation is infrastructure cost and resource demands. Blockchain networks, especially in a decentralized setup, require significant computing power, storage, and bandwidth. This often translates to higher operational costs and demands on infrastructure, which can be a strain for smaller teams or startups.

Lastly, the latency introduced by decentralized consensus mechanisms can impact the speed of CI/CD pipelines related to smart contracts. This is particularly pronounced in public blockchains where validation by multiple nodes is required before any deployment can occur. While private blockchains can mitigate this issue, they lack the full transparency of public chains.

Final thoughts: Accelerate your blockchain DevOps

With the right approach, blockchain DevOps can significantly streamline development, enhance security, and accelerate time-to-market for Web3 projects. By optimizing infrastructure, scaling efficiently, and automating deployment, teams can reduce latency to milliseconds and handle billions of daily requests, as demonstrated by top blockchain projects. 

Working with experienced providers like RPC Fast means accessing tailored, high-performance solutions that cut infrastructure costs by up to 70% and ensure continuous, reliable service.

By leveraging our expertise, you can focus on growth and innovation while we handle the technical complexities.