CI / CD

Automation increases efficiency, reduces (human) errors and definitely improves businesses operations. With the help of software, automation can be achieved more and more easily. Automation can be implemented with different tools that are highly related to the task being automated. For example, infrastructure management (server deployment and configuration) is achieved with tools and processes such as Infrastructure as code (IaC). On the other hand, build automation and test automation will require different software - Make, CMake, Selenium and similar. And the full automation of the software development process will require something completely different and more complex. That end-to-end automation in reality is CI/CD.

CI/CD is the process of automation of all development and operational tasks - building, testing and deployment of software. The goal of this process is to:

• reduce errors and detect them early in the development process
• improve efficiency and productivity
• release code more often

In practice CI/CD is not a single homogeneous thing, but a combination of separate processes - continuous integration (CI), continuous delivery (CD) and sometimes continuous deployment (again CD).

Continuous integration

A development process where code changes are made often and are smaller, usually related to specific functionality. All developers integrate their work (gradually) into a single shared mainline (branch).

Continuous delivery

A process where development cycles are short and measures are taken, so that a release (binary/deployment) can be created from the code base at any time. Usually that requires heavy automation and no manual work.

Continuous deployment

A process similar to continuous delivery with the additional steps to automatically deploy the software. Continuous delivery usually automates the process to the point of creating a binary without deploying it.

By automating and improving your development processes with the help of CI/CD your business:

• ensures smooth release process and more stable releases
• gains predictable deployments
• limits services downtime
• reduces the chance for (human) errors
• increases productivity
• optimizes time
• opens room for more meaningful tasks and improvements

We can help you implement CI/CD automation, achieve those important goals and gain the benefits.