Common Shippable Issues and Solutions

1. Build Failures

Builds fail unexpectedly, preventing deployment.

Root Causes:

• Incorrect build configuration in shippable.yml.
• Missing or incompatible dependencies.
• Insufficient build resources or timeout issues.

Solution:

Check Shippable logs for error details:

tail -f /var/log/shippable/build.log

Ensure shippable.yml is correctly configured:

language: node_js
node_js:
  - "14"
script:
  - npm install
  - npm test

Rebuild the project after clearing caches:

shippable retry build --clear-cache

2. Environment Variable Issues

Environment variables are not being recognized in builds.

Root Causes:

• Environment variables not correctly defined in Shippable settings.
• Secret variables not exposed to build jobs.
• Incorrect syntax when referencing variables in scripts.

Solution:

Verify environment variables in the Shippable dashboard:

Navigate to Shippable UI > Project Settings > Environment Variables

Ensure variables are referenced correctly in scripts:

echo "API_KEY=$API_KEY"

Use encrypted environment variables for sensitive data:

shippable encrypt --string "my_secret_value"

3. Authentication and Access Issues

Shippable fails to authenticate with repositories or external services.

Root Causes:

• Expired OAuth tokens or incorrect SSH keys.
• Repository access permissions not configured.
• Firewall rules blocking external service connections.

Solution:

Reauthorize repository access in Shippable:

Navigate to Shippable UI > Integrations > Reconnect GitHub/GitLab

Check SSH key configuration:

cat ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub

Ensure correct permissions for repository access:

chmod 600 ~/.ssh/id_rsa

4. Slow Builds and Deployment Delays

Builds and deployments take too long to complete.

Root Causes:

• Large dependencies increasing build time.
• Unoptimized caching strategies.
• Network latency affecting artifact transfers.

Solution:

Enable dependency caching in shippable.yml:

cache:
  directories:
    - $HOME/.npm

Optimize artifact storage by using lightweight Docker images:

FROM node:14-alpine

Reduce deployment delays by parallelizing jobs:

jobs:
  - name: build
    steps:
      - run: npm install
  - name: deploy
    steps:
      - run: npm run deploy

5. Pipeline Execution Failures

Pipelines do not execute correctly or get stuck in an incomplete state.

Root Causes:

• Incorrect job dependencies in the pipeline.
• Failed dependencies preventing downstream tasks.
• Pipeline misconfigurations causing job sequencing issues.

Solution:

Manually trigger the pipeline execution:

shippable run pipeline my-pipeline

Check job dependencies in shippable.yml:

jobs:
  - name: test
    type: runSh
    steps:
      - IN: source-code
      - task: test-runner

Inspect pipeline logs for debugging:

shippable logs pipeline my-pipeline

Best Practices for Shippable Optimization

• Regularly update dependencies to prevent build failures.
• Use encrypted environment variables for security-sensitive data.
• Enable caching to speed up dependency resolution.
• Monitor build logs and pipeline execution times to detect bottlenecks.
• Ensure proper access control and authentication settings for repository integration.

Conclusion

By troubleshooting build failures, authentication issues, slow deployments, environment variable problems, and pipeline execution errors, users can improve the stability and efficiency of their Shippable CI/CD workflows. Implementing best practices ensures better performance, security, and automation reliability.

FAQs

1. Why is my Shippable build failing?

Check logs for errors, ensure dependencies are installed, and verify shippable.yml syntax.

2. How do I resolve environment variable issues?

Verify variables in the dashboard, use correct syntax, and encrypt sensitive values.

3. How can I fix authentication failures in Shippable?

Reconnect repositories, verify SSH keys, and check user access permissions.

4. Why is my deployment taking too long?

Enable caching, optimize artifact sizes, and use parallel execution strategies.

5. How do I troubleshoot pipeline execution failures?

Manually trigger pipelines, inspect job dependencies, and review execution logs.