Case Study: LinkedIn achieves web-scale infrastructure automation with CFEngine

With CFEngine LinkedIn automates IT infrastructure and operations, reducing costs and boosting efficiency

LinkedIn, the professional networking platform, faced the challenge of scaling its infrastructure rapidly as it grew from 300 machines to more than 40,000 servers while keeping operations lean and minimizing risk. To support this growth, LinkedIn turned to CFEngine for infrastructure and operations automation across the full lifecycle, from bare-metal provisioning and configuration to ongoing compliance and access management.

With CFEngine, LinkedIn built a low-touch, programmable automation framework that enabled new servers to be brought online in minutes, user accounts to be managed across thousands of machines in minutes, and changes to be rolled out safely in phases. The result was greater efficiency, better visibility, and reduced operational risk, all achieved by a six-person team managing about 40,000 servers and making dozens of reliable changes across thousands of machines.

LinkedIn

Mike Svoboda

Systems and Automation Engineer