continuous integration (continuous integration) and continuous delivery (continuous delivery/continuous deployment), is also known for short as CI/CD. In very simple terms, CI is a modern software development practice where incremental code changes are made frequently and safely. Automated build and test steps performed in CI ensure that code changes that are merged into the general repository are trustworthy. The code is then delivered quickly and seamlessly as part of the CD process.
In the software world, the CI/CD relationship refers to the automation of the process that enables incremental code changes from developers' environments to be quickly and reliably delivered to production.
Why is CI/CD important?
CI/CD enables organizations to quickly and efficiently build and bring products and services into production. CI/CD facilitates an efficient process to bring solutions to market faster than ever, continuously delivering code into production and ensuring a continuous flow of new features and bug fixes through the most efficient delivery method.
What is the difference between IC and CD?
Continuous integration (CI) is a practice that implies that developers can make small changes and verifications in their code in collaborative environments. Due to the scale of requirements and the number of steps involved, this process is automated to ensure that teams can build, test, and package their applications in a reliable and repeatable way. CI helps simplify code changes, increasing the time for developers to make changes and help improve software.
Continuous delivery (CD) is the automated delivery of complete code to environments such as test and development. CD provides an automated and consistent way for code to be delivered to these environments.
Continuous deployment is the next step in continuous delivery. Every change that passes automated testing is automatically pushed into production, resulting in many deployments or production rollouts in short periods of time.
Continuous deployment should be the goal of most organizations that are not constrained by regulatory or other third-party requirements.
In short, CI is a set of practices performed during the code-writing process by developers, and CD is a set of practices performed after the code is complete.
How is CI/CD related to DevOps?
DevOps is a set of practices and tools designed to increase an organization's ability to deliver applications and services faster than applying traditional software development processes.
The increased speed of DevOps helps an organization serve its customers more successfully and be more competitive in the marketplace.
A key practice is to integrate security (DevSecOps) in all DevOps workflows. By performing security activities early and consistently throughout the software development life cycle (SDLC), organizations can ensure that vulnerabilities are detected as early as possible and that they can make informed decisions about risk and mitigation.
In more traditional security practices, security isn't addressed until the production stage, which is no longer supported by the faster, more agile DevOps approach. Today, security tools must fit seamlessly into the developer workflow and CI/CD pipeline to keep up with DevOps and not slow down the speed of development.
CI/CD circuits fit within the broader DevOps/DevSecOps framework. To successfully implement and run a CI/CD pipeline, organizations need tools to avoid friction points that slow down integration and delivery. The equipment requires a series of built-in tools to facilitate collaborative and seamless development efforts.
Integrating the right tools at the right time reduces overall DevSecOps friction, increases delivery speed, and improves quality and efficiency.
CI/CD Benefits
- Automated testing enables continuous delivery, ensuring software quality and security, and increasing cost efficiency from development to production.
- CI/CD circuits enable much shorter time-to-market for new product features, creating more satisfied customers and reducing stress on development.
- The vast increase in delivery speed that CI/CD circuits allow enhances an organization's competitive advantage.
- Automation frees up team members to focus on what they are most experienced and do best, which produces better end products.
- Organizations with a portfolio of successful CI/CD projects can attract great talent. As you walk away from the traditional waterfall methods, engineers and developers are no longer bogged down with repetitive activities that often rely heavily on performing other tasks.
