What is CI/CD? 🤖 Definitions, Concepts and CI/CD Tools at a glance
Tags: devops, cicd, beginners, testing
Published: 2023-10-16 07:00:00

_What do the terms CI/CD, CI/CD pipeline, CI/CD tools and DevOps mean? In this article you will get a comprehensive explanation of all the terms, concepts and technologies you need to understand in the context of CI/CD._

## TL;DR 🙄
You will get an overview, detailed but not too detailed about everything you need to know about **CI/CD** 🚀

## What you will learn 📖
- [Continuous Integration (CI)](#continuous-integration-ci)
- [Continuous Delivery (CD)](#continuous-delivery-cd)
- [What is DevOps?](#what-is-devops)
- [What is a CI/CD pipeline?](#what-is-a-ci-cd-pipeline)
- [What is the difference between Continuous Delivery and Continuous Deployment?](https://webdeasy.de/en/what-is-ci-cd/#what-is-the-difference-between-continuous-delivery-and-continuous-deployment)
- [Advantages of CI/CD](https://webdeasy.de/en/what-is-ci-cd/#advantages-of-ci-cd)
- [What are CI/CD tools and which one should I use?](https://webdeasy.de/en/what-is-ci-cd/#what-are-ci-cd-tools-and-which-one-should-i-use)
  - [Overview of known CI/CD tools](https://webdeasy.de/en/what-is-ci-cd/#overview-of-known-ci-cd-tools)
  - [Selection criteria for the right tool](https://webdeasy.de/en/what-is-ci-cd/#selection-criteria-for-the-right-tool)
- [Conclusion: CI/CD - The way to more efficient software development and higher quality](https://webdeasy.de/en/what-is-ci-cd/#conclusion-ci-cd-the-way-to-more-efficient-software-development-and-higher-quality)

The Google trend data shows that the search term "CI/CD" is experiencing a surge in popularity.

![Google Trends CI/CD](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/5ki7o9pmv9c392aba6oi.JPG)

In modern software development, the terms “CI/CD” and “DevOps” are widely used. However, what do these terminologies signify, and why are they crucial? What is the foundation of this movement, and how can it transform software development?

Continuous Integration (CI) and Continuous Delivery (CD) are crucial concepts in contemporary software development. They establish the foundation for effective and superior software distribution. First, let’s examine the explanations of these terms. If you are unfamiliar with CI/CD, these definitions may appear quite abstract. Nevertheless, by the end of this article, all your queries should be resolved.


## Continuous Integration (CI) ⚙️<a href="continuous-integration-ci"></a>
Continuous Integration (CI) is a development method where developers regularly merge their code into a shared repository. The main concept behind CI is the constant integration of any code changes made into the main code base. Whenever developers make code alterations, automated build and test procedures are initiated to guarantee that the code operates correctly and does not interfere with any of the present functions. The aim of CI is to detect conflicts and errors early on while consistently monitoring the code’s quality.


## Continuous Delivery (CD) 🏭<a href="continuous-delivery-cd"></a>
Continuous Delivery is a logical extension of CI and denotes the automated deployment of software in a production environment. CI enables software to be readily deployable in the production environment but does not, however, automatically release it into production space. Instead, deployment is automated up to the production environment, and the release into production space still necessitates manual approval. No changes needed as the text already adheres to the principles and lacks context.


## What is DevOps? 👨‍💻<a href="what-is-devops"></a>
CI/CD and DevOps are closely linked. DevOps is a culture and practice that aims to enhance collaboration and communication between an organisation’s development and operations teams. Its primary objective is to streamline the software development and delivery process, allowing for quicker and more dependable software delivery.

The conventional method of software development and IT operations can foster silos, where developers and operations function independently and have divergent objectives. This can cause delivery delays, quality problems, and disputes. DevOps seeks to bridge these gaps by fostering close collaboration between teams. To this end, various tools, including CI/CD pipelines, are employed.


## What is a CI/CD Pipeline? 🔧<a href="what-is-a-ci-cd-pipeline"></a>
A crucial component of modern software development and DevOps practices is a CI/CD pipeline, also known as a DevOps pipeline. It’s an automated sequence of steps that enables software CI/CD processes, and the central part of an efficient software development and delivery workflow. The structure of a CI/CD pipeline is demonstrated in the given diagram.
![CI/CD pipeline
](https://webdeasy.de/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/pipeline.png)

The CI/CD pipeline is an automated workflow that covers the entire software development lifecycle from code change to production deployment....

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> ### It's cool that you're so passionate about CI/CD! 🔥
> ### ➡️ [Read the rest of the post on my blog](https://webdeasy.de/en/what-is-ci-cd/?action=read-full-post) ❤️