A CI/CD pipeline is a series of automated processes that facilitate the continuous integration, testing, and delivery of software applications. It is a framework that helps to streamline the software development process by automating the building, testing, and deployment of code changes.
The pipeline typically starts with code changes being committed to a version control system, such as Git. The pipeline then triggers a series of automated processes, including code builds, unit testing, integration testing, and deployment to various environments, such as development, staging, and production.
The CI/CD pipeline is typically composed of the following components:
- Continuous Integration (CI): This component involves the automated building and testing of code changes as soon as they are committed to the version control system. This helps to catch errors and bugs early in the development process, reducing the likelihood of larger issues later on.
- Continuous Delivery (CD): This component involves the automated deployment of code changes to a staging or pre-production environment for further testing and validation. This step ensures that the software is stable and functional before being deployed to production.
- Continuous Deployment: (CD): This component involves the automated deployment of code changes to the production environment, typically after passing through a series of automated tests.
Overall, the CI/CD pipeline helps to streamline the software development process by automating many of the manual processes involved in building, testing, and deploying software applications, enabling teams to deliver high-quality software more quickly and reliably.
