Continuous Integration & Continuous Delivery
CI/CD pipelines automate repetitive tasks, reduce human error, and help teams deliver software continuously with confidence.
What is CI/CD?
- Continuous Integration (CI): Automatically merge code changes, run tests, and ensure quality before deployment.
- Continuous Delivery (CD): Automate deployment to staging/production environments with minimal manual intervention.
Pros
- Faster feedback on code quality and bugs
- Reduced manual errors in deployment
- Higher team confidence and faster release cycles
- Improved collaboration and code integration
Cons / Challenges
- Initial setup can be complex
- Requires testing discipline and automated test coverage
- Monitoring pipelines and infrastructure adds operational overhead
- Team needs to learn pipeline tools and best practices
Real-World Examples
- Deploying microservices to Kubernetes clusters automatically
- Serverless function deployment after automated tests
- Automated frontend deployment to CDN after build
- Database migrations integrated with pipeline automation
Best Practices
- Keep pipelines fast and reliable
- Include automated unit, integration, and end-to-end tests
- Use feature flags to reduce risk of production changes
- Monitor pipeline health and lo