Introduction to CI/CD pipeline

A CI/CD pipeline may sound like overhead but is it?. It’s essentially a runnable specification of the steps that need to be performed in order to deliver a new version. In the absence of an automated pipeline, engineers would still need to perform these steps manually, and hence far less productively.

Enable your engineering team to deliver bug-free code at high velocity. A fast and reliable CI/CD pipeline is crucial for doing that sustainably over time…

CI/CD pipeline helps you automate steps in your software delivery process, such as initiating code builds, running automated tests, and deploying to a staging or production environment.

Automated pipelines remove manual errors, provide standardised development feedback loops and enable fast product iterations.

CI, short for Continuous Integration, is a software development practice in which all developers merge code changes in a central repository multiple times a day. CD stands for Continuous Delivery, which on top of Continuous Integration adds the practice of automating the entire software release process.

With CI, each change in code triggers an automated build-and-test sequence for the given project, providing feedback to the developer(s) who made the change.

Continuous Delivery includes infrastructure provisioning and deployment, which may be manual and consist of multiple stages. What’s important is that all these processes are fully automated, with each run fully logged and visible to the entire team.

CI/CD pipeline has more positive effects than simply making what was previously done a little bit more efficient:

• Developers can stay focused on writing code and monitoring behaviour of the system in production.
• QA and product stakeholders have easy access to the latest version of the system.
• Product updates are not stressful.
• Logs of all code changes, test and deployments are available for inspection at any time.
• Rolling back to a previous version in the event of a problem is a routine action.
• A fast feedback loop helps build an organisational culture of learning and responsibility.

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