CI/CD is a DevOps practice that automates software development, testing, and deployment to ensure faster and reliable software releases. It consists of two main processes:
1. Continuous Integration (CI)
- Developers frequently merge code changes into a shared repository (e.g., GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket).
- Each merge triggers automated builds and tests to detect bugs early.
- Goal: Ensure code integration is smooth and errors are caught early.
- Example Tools: Jenkins, GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, Travis CI.
CI Workflow:
- Developer pushes code to the repository.
- Automated tests (unit, integration, API) are executed.
- If tests pass, the build is validated; if they fail, the developer is notified.
2. Continuous Deployment (CD) vs. Continuous Delivery
🔹 Continuous Delivery – Code is automatically tested and prepared for deployment, but requires manual approval before going live.
🔹 Continuous Deployment – Every successful code change automatically goes live without manual intervention.
CD Workflow:
- After CI, successful builds are packaged and deployed to staging.
- Functional, performance, and security tests are run.
- If all tests pass:
- Continuous Delivery: Needs manual approval for production deployment.
- Continuous Deployment: Code is automatically deployed to production.
Example Tools: Jenkins, ArgoCD, Spinnaker, AWS CodeDeploy.
Benefits of CI/CD
- Faster Releases – Automates testing & deployment, reducing manual work.
- Early Bug Detection – Frequent testing ensures issues are found early.
- Improved Collaboration – Developers integrate changes smoothly.
- Less Deployment Risk – Automated deployments reduce human errors.
- Higher Software Quality – Frequent releases ensure quick fixes.