About Shift

Shift is a browser that simplifies online experiences by consolidating all apps, accounts, emails, and tools into a single, intuitive window. It eliminates the need for multiple windows and constant account switching, empowering you to manage your digital life with ease and efficiency. Shift’s features include workspaces, app integrations, unified email management, and a customizable bookmarks system. It’s a power tool built to modernize your browser experience.

Long build times lead to developer frustration!

Before implementing EngFlow, Shift grappled with significant challenges in their Chromium build process. Despite already using some of the fastest bare metal hardware available, build times were excruciatingly slow, ranging from 30 minutes in the best case to 6 hours in the worst scenarios. Shift was also limited by the number of instances available to run these builds, with their CI/CD system only supporting a few parallel builds at a time.

Developers faced similar constraints with local builds. The build times and high resource consumption of Chromium builds severely hampered the developers’ ability to iterate quickly. While they had powerful laptops, builds would take anywhere from 3 to 15 hours, often rendering their laptops unusable for other tasks during that time. It was a major source of frustration and a significant bottleneck in the development process.

Up to 15x Faster Build Times

The implementation of Remote Build Execution (RBE) with EngFlow dramatically reduced Shift’s build times. Improvements range from 2 - 8x faster across local and CI builds, and up to 15x faster when the cache is warm. This significant speedup completely resolved the developer frustration surrounding Chromium compilation.

The impact was immediate – local builds that once took almost 5.5 hours were slashed to just 37 minutes, while CI builds decreased from 22 minutes to a mere 5 minutes. Beyond the raw speed improvements, developers gained the ability to work on other tasks while builds ran remotely, boosting overall productivity. The scalability of EngFlow’s RBE cluster also allowed Shift to increase the number of parallel builds, eliminating a backlog of queued CI/CD builds that previously hindered progress.

Tailored, Co-Managed Model

Implementing EngFlow’s co-managed solution was highly beneficial for the team at Shift. The model freed up at least one full-time employee, as EngFlow efficiently manages the RBE cluster. The implementation process was smooth, supported by detailed documentation and thought-out implementation strategies.

EngFlow’s customer success team received high praise for their responsiveness, proactive check-ins, and follow-ups. During the setup and continued use of EngFlow’s remote build execution (RBE), the team’s knowledge proved invaluable for Shift to maximize the benefits of the platform.

Accelerating Growth with EngFlow

The partnership between EngFlow and Shift browser is a step forward toward success and business growth for both companies. EngFlow helps the team at Shift reach their goals and significantly improves efficiency and productivity. With improvements in operations, Shift’s developer teams are happier, less stressed out about build times, and spend more time working on what they’re excited about.

Shift and EngFlow will continue collaborating, further streamlining development processes. By leveraging EngFlow’s cutting-edge build optimization technologies, Shift is well-positioned to continue innovating and delivering an exceptional browsing experience to its users. EngFlow is proud to help Shift set the stage for sustained growth and success in a competitive browser market.