A CI/CD pipeline is an automated assembly line for your software, designed to get code from development to your users faster, safer, and more reliably. It breaks down into two main parts.
- Continuous Integration (CI): This refers to the continuous stream of automated checks. Every time a developer commits changes, the code is automatically built and tested. It means quick feedback, catching bugs early and keeping the main codebase stable.
- Continuous Delivery (CD) / Continuous Deployment (CD): This handles the release side. Continuous Delivery means that the code, after passing all CI tests, is always ready to be released to an environment such as testing or staging. Continuous Deployment takes it further, automatically sending that code straight to production if all checks pass.
Essentially, CI builds and tests the code rapidly, and CD ensures it's released efficiently. It's about automating the journey of your code, eliminating the need to wait for intervention and action and finding potential problems quickly.
