DEV Community: gabriel-pineda

Tools That We Use At Our $100k/mo Startup

gabriel-pineda — Sun, 08 Sep 2024 22:13:28 +0000

This is a no-fluff list of the tools we're using at the startup I work at (making $100k/mo). At this stage, it’s tempting to subscribe to every premium tool, but we stick to a guiding principle: keep it simple, maximize value, and avoid overcomplication.

Here’s what works for us:

Version Control System - GitHub

We use GitHub for version control because it’s an industry standard with excellent integrations. It helps us manage our repositories and work collaboratively with a familiar interface.

Team Communication - Slack

Slack is our go-to communication tool. It allows us to create channels, communicate asynchronously, and quickly solve blockers. The integrations with other tools, like GitHub and Google Calendar, help us centralize notifications and keep conversations organized.

Code Review Tool - PullNotifier

PullNotifier increases visibility for code reviews, which is crucial for our team. It sends real-time notifications to Slack whenever a pull request is opened, helping us streamline the review process and ensure faster iterations.

Project Management - Jira

Jira keeps our project management on track. It's flexible, allows us to manage sprints, and track the progress of tasks easily. The integration with GitHub makes it easy to sync code progress with project management.

CI/CD - GitHub Actions

GitHub Actions powers our continuous integration and deployment. Since it's built into GitHub, it’s easy to set up, automate tests, and deploy code without switching platforms. It simplifies the process and saves time.

Documentation and Internal Notes - Confluence

Confluence is our go-to for internal documentation. It’s perfect for keeping all our notes, wikis, and processes in one place. Plus, its integration with Jira makes referencing project updates smooth.

Accounting, Payments & Employee Management - Xero

Xero handles our accounting and payroll. It’s simple, effective, and automates much of the tedious financial work. The real-time financial reporting is invaluable for managing cash flow.

Infrastructure Platform - AWS

AWS gives us the scalability and reliability we need for hosting our apps. With services like ECS and RDS, we can easily manage our infrastructure while controlling costs.

Error Reporting, Logging, and Internal Dashboards - NewRelic

NewRelic helps us monitor application performance and log errors in real-time. It provides detailed insights, which allows us to troubleshoot issues quickly and keep our platform stable.

Email Provider - Google

Google Workspace handles our email needs, and its reliability and integration with other tools, like Google Calendar, make it an easy choice for seamless communication.

Meetings - Google Calendar and Slack Huddles

We rely on Google Calendar for scheduling meetings and Slack Huddles for quick, impromptu discussions. These tools keep our meetings short and efficient.

Code Quality - SonarCloud

SonarCloud provides automatic code analysis and ensures that we maintain a high standard for code quality. It helps us detect bugs and security vulnerabilities before they become issues.

Server Uptime Monitoring - Healthchecks.io

Healthchecks.io keeps track of our cron jobs and scheduled tasks. It sends alerts if something goes wrong, ensuring we’re always on top of potential downtime issues.

These tools have been chosen because they offer the best value for our needs, helping us stay lean and focused as we continue to grow.

Do you have anything to add to this list?

10 Slack emojis that developers should use

gabriel-pineda — Wed, 26 Jun 2024 20:50:24 +0000

ALL of the companies that I've worked at so far used Slack. When I was entering the workforce, I always dreaded communicating in Slack - it was too formal! But that was until my coworkers and myself added emojis to our Slack workspace. It was a game-changer in our communication and overall tone.

So I compiled a list of the most used emojis our Slack workspace has: emoji-pack-for-devs

And on this post, I'll be highlighting the 10 best ones.

Lgtm
Best for instantly approving Pull Requests with 100 files changed!
get-well-soon
Always nice to show your team you care!
smart
This is a well-known meme. Use it when a co-worker does something clever and witty
plus1
Best emoji to use when you agree with someone's message
catjam
Ultimate vibes
leo-toast
Great for celebrating small and big wins
kek
This emoji perfectly expresses how funny the msg was :D
merged
Used to indicate that your code has been merged and is on prod!
thisisfine
How we feel every day as developers..
thankyou
Always nice to show gratitude towards your teammates :)

That wraps it up!

You can view the full list here emoji-pack-for-devs
Also feel free to suggest new emojis and I'll try to add it in as soon as I can

How to get Github PR Notifications in Slack (in under a minute!)

gabriel-pineda — Thu, 11 Jan 2024 10:50:42 +0000

Streamline your Github and Slack workflow in under a minute

Get Github PR notifications in your team's Slack channel without getting spammed with notifications.

Are you tired of constantly switching between Github and Slack? Do you get frustrated when you forget to check a pull request, or even worse, your pull request gets forgotten and no one approves it!? We're here to help.

Today we're going to share a tool that has immensely helped our Github and Slack workflow.

And you will not need any complex configuration, you won't even need to do any code!

Let's get started

There are a multitude of Github and Slack integrations to choose from to achieve this. Here are some options that we tried and our thoughts on them:

the official Github + Slack app
Thoughts: The app is not highly configurable and it spammed us with a ton of notificaitons! We had to mute it after 2 days of use and even had to uninstall it. We find this to be great for personal notifcations, but if you're subscribing to repository pull request events - it can get messy real quick!
a Github Action
Thoughts: We found it better than the Github app because it did not spam us with notificaitons, we were also able to customize the messaging. But it only displayed the pull requests that were newly opened. It didn't show us the realtime status of our team's pull requests which made it hard to know which ones were already approved or merged.
the PullNotifier slack app
Thoughts: We found this to be the best solution to match our needs. It sent a notification when a pull request was opened (not draft), then updated that same message with the realtime status of the app - so it didn't spam us with messages + we instantly knew when we checked our Slack channel which pull requests were yet to be reviewed/checked.

The image above best describes the difference between these three approaches.

App installation

We weren't kidding when we said that the set-up would just take less than 1 minute. Installing the app and making it work for your team is too easy. You can check the quick video below to see how:

youtube.com

If a 30 second video is too long for you, here is a summary of the steps:

Connect the app to Github
Connect the app to your target Slack channel
Try to send a test notification to confirm that the connection is working
Enjoy the seamless integration ❤️

PR Notifications Demo

PullNotifier is finally set up for our organization.

Voilà! Your team will now receive notifications efficiently, which will in turn improve your collaboration and code review process - keeping devs happy and productive!

Conclusion

I hope you enjoyed this short guide on how to get Github PR notifications on your Slack channel. If you have any questions, feedback or suggestions, feel free to reach out to us. We're always online for you ❤️

Top 6 Github Slack integrations to try in 2024

gabriel-pineda — Wed, 10 Jan 2024 09:52:26 +0000

2024 Must-Try GitHub and Slack Tools: Simplifying Code Reviews & Pull Requests

You've probably heard of the standard GitHub Slack integration, but there's more out there! We've got the lowdown on the top 6 GitHub Slack integrations that are total game-changers for how your team works together.

These tools are all about making your life easier. Think getting updates in real time, or having a separate Slack channel for each pull request – pretty handy, right? Keep reading to find out which one of these integrations is the perfect match for your team.

1. Github's Slack App

Main features:

Subscribe to notifications on new commits, pull requests, issues, status updates, comments and code reviews

This is Github's official Slack app - so anything you want to be notified on, it will surely be customizable on the app!

✅ Pros:

You can customize what you subscribe to however you want. And it's free!

😐 Cons:

It can be hard to set up, it took us some time even as developers. The notifications can also be overwhelming and messy, our team found it to be spammy.

💭 Our thoughts:

Have a try to see if it fits your needs. We personally don't utilize all of its features, we still have it installed we just use one feature and we supplement it with another app.

Here's how their notifications look like:

2. PullFlow

Main features:

AI-enhanced code review collaboration, two-way sync between Github comments and Slack messages.

✅ Pros:

A high quality and powerful tool! We love this app and all of its features.

😐 Cons:

The two-way sync does introduce a lot of noise and notifications to your Slack. If you don't like all of your notifications to be on Slack then this one might not be for you.

💭 Our thoughts:

If you and your team don't mind the extra notification sounds - We think it's definitely worth a try! The pricing $7/user might be reasonable for some, might be expensive for others.

3. Axolo

Main features:

Ephemeral Slack channels for PRs. Two-way sync between Github comments and Slack messages. PRs reminders. Standup bot

✅ Pros:

Another powerful tool! We love this app and its features. This app has similar features as Actioner, but Axolo has more credibility.

😐 Cons:

The new Slack Channels and the two-way sync does introduce a lot of noise and notifications to your Slack. If you don't like all of your notifications to be on Slack then this one might not be for you.

💭 Our thoughts:

Worth trying! This will change how your team works (a new slack channel will be created everytime someone creates a Pull request). Some might be opposed to it, some might not.
They have a free plan and paid plans go up to 8$-16$/user

4. Actioner

Main features:

Ephemeral Slack channels for PRs. Two-way sync between Github comments and Slack messages.

✅ Pros:

This app creates dedicated slack channel for new pull requests. Which will give a lot of visibility on your PRs = making reviews faster!

😐 Cons:

💭 Our thoughts:

Worth trying! This will change how your team works (a new slack channel will be created everytime someone creates a Pull request). Some might be opposed to it, some might not.
The pricing is based on credits, so we can't tell if the pricing is reasonable or not.

5. Toast.Ninja

Main features:

Notifies those involved in the Pull request directly in their DMs (you won't be collaborating on a Slack Channel). They also have analytics and team stats.

✅ Pros:

It's a simple app that gets the job done.

😐 Cons:

Toast is very similar to the Github app but it is streamlined for Slack and has extra features that Github doesn't offer.

💭 Our thoughts:

Worth a try! Their pricing depends on how many users your Slack workspace has. The lowest tier has a maximum of 10 users and is $39/month, making it almost $2/user

6. PullNotifier ⭐️

Main features:

PR Status + Slack message sync (avoiding noisy notifications). Map repository to specific Slack channel.

✅ Pros:

Our personal favorite on this list. It is very simple but it works for so many teams! The app also doesn't disrupt your current workflow and the best part is it's very efficient in sending notifications.

😐 Cons:

It isn't as feature-rich as other apps on this list, but it's very good at what it does.

💭 Our thoughts:

This app has made our code review workflow better. We can effortlessly check the status of our PRs on Slack without getting bombed with notifications.

They have a free forever plan. The lowest tier has a maximum of 20 users and is $39/month - making it almost $2/user

Here's a short demo of it in action:

You can access the app here -> PullNotifier

Conclusion

That wraps up our journey through the top GitHub and Slack integrations for 2024! Whether you're looking to streamline your code reviews, keep up with pull requests, or just make team collaboration a breeze, these tools are here to help.

Remember, the right integration can transform the way your team works, making your coding life a whole lot easier. So go ahead, give them a try, and take your team's productivity to the next level!