CI/CD

CI/CD is a method to deliver apps to customers continuously by automatizing the stages of app development. It stands for Continuous Integration (CI) and Continuous Delivery (CD).

Successful CI means integrating new code changes into a shared repository regularly. CI enables developers to identify errors early in the software/app development lifecycle.

CD picks up where CI ends. It’s an efficient method to deliver code changes to selected environments (for example app testing or production environments). 

CI/CD is one of the major benefits of migrating from a monolithic architecture to microservices. When service components of a system are decoupled, developing an app can be done faster as each app has its own CI/CD cycle and teams can develop their products without having to interfere with other teams/apps. 

Monitoring can also be implemented for each app/service to give a better observability for each component.

CI/CD pipeline is a series of steps that need to be taken to deliver a new version of an app or software. This process is automated to ensure:

The CI/CD pipeline enables developers to write code, build tests and deploy changes to the app/software coordinately and deliver results in no time.

Generally, the CI/CD pipeline consists of four stages:

CI/CD tools help DevOps teams automate their development and testing processes. Some of these tools support developers in the integration phase while others help them implement the delivery or deployment smoothly.

One of the most popular CI/CD tools is the open source automation server Jenkins. By automating the processes related to building, testing and deploying a software/app component, Jenkins facilitates CI/CD. Other open source CI/CD tools include:

Check out Talon.One’s ebook, “The A to Z of Microservices Architecture” to learn more about CI/CD and its role in the tech stack of a business.