The key to implementing DevOps successfully is combining Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) processes. The CI/CD pipeline is essential to streamline the software release process and reduce defects. However, blindly following the technical aspects of a CI/CD pipeline is insufficient to achieve desired outcomes. The technical team needs to understand how using agile methodologies and effective DevOps practices can lead to faster delivery cycles.
What is a CI/CD pipeline
CI/CD is an agile approach to software development focused on a reliable and frequent software delivery process. It involves a continuous cycle of integrating new code, testing, and deploying changes to the software, enabling a collaborative and efficient process between DevOps teams to make real-time updates to the software.
CI/CD pipeline uses automation throughout the development process to automate tasks, such as building, testing, and deployment, thus improving code quality, increasing work speed, and optimizing other DevOps metrics.
Why do I need a CI/CD pipeline
These are some of the advantages of a CI/CD pipeline.
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Automating build, test, and deployment processes enable teams to release new updates more quickly.
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It helps teams save time and money spent on manual tasks and reduce the risk of errors and downtime.
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An automated pipeline in place enables efficient code testing and monitoring.
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Also, teams can easily implement security testing to keep track of vulnerabilities and improve code quality.
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Setting up a CI/CD pipeline
Let’s discuss the phases of the CI/CD pipeline.
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Development: The first phase of the continuous integration (CI) process includes creating and compiling source code as a team. By collaborating and integrating new code, teams can identify and resolve any conflicts or issues that may arise.
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Testing: Once the code is developed, teams will conduct testing on the code. Both continuous delivery and deployment include automated testing involving different tests such as integration tests, unit tests, and regression tests to ensure the code's working.
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Delivering: The tested and approved codebase is sent to a production environment. In continuous deployment, this phase is fully automated, while in continuous delivery, this phase is automated after getting approval from the developer.
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Deployment: After the changes are deployed, the final product is moved to the production environment. In continuous delivery, manual approval is required before deploying the product to the production environment, whereas continuous deployment automates this step, and the product is deployed automatically after passing testing.
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Streamlining development with Packagecloud
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Read more
- CI/CD 101
- Using Travis CI to publish your software or library packages to Packagecloud
- Using Jenkins jobs to publish your software
