What is CI/CD?

The continuous integration and continuous delivery or CI/CD process entail frequent code changes being pushed into the main branch while ensuring that they do not impact other parallel changes made by developers. During the integration of the entire project, it aims to reduce the chance of defects and conflicts.

Continuous integration (CI) involves frequent code integration into a shared repository. Integration occurs daily, with automated test cases and build sequences verifying the process.

The benefits of continuous integration (CI) are: detecting bugs earlier in the development cycle, cutting short bug count, automating the process, offering a great level of transparency, and being cost-effective.

In continuous delivery (CD), changes are made to production continuously. A change can be of a configuration, adding a new feature, correcting an error, etc. After that, the software products are delivered to users quickly, safely, and sustainably.

Continuous delivery aims to make deployment predictable and scheduled routinely. This is achieved by ensuring the code is always available for deployment whenever needed, even when the code is continuously modified by an entire team of developers. Furthermore, continuous integration eliminates testing and integrating phases and follows the traditional code freeze process.

It can help in your software development process by making deployment easier and faster, ensuring high-quality applications, allowing the team to collaborate, and brainstorming new ideas to make the product more user-friendly.

Ready to transform your software delivery process? Check out our CI/CD testing guide, featuring its significance, principles, and best practices.