What is CI/CD, and why is it important?
Published: 2022-08-14 07:09:00


One of the worst messages a developer might get in Git is "Merge conflict." You've worked on a feature for hours, and your code is now flawless. However, another developer altered the same section of the file, so you need to examine the differences, decide which adjustments to preserve, and run all your tests once more before attempting to merge again.

A merge conflict that occasionally arises is only a minor annoyance. However, picture yourself as a member of a highly integrated team that is tasked with releasing new features quickly. Multiple developers must collaborate on the same file due to the timeframe. Merge conflicts exist if everyone pushes their contributions at the same time.   This kind of mistake is not only annoying but also ineffective.

Thus, The CI/CD methodology was developed To address this issue and accelerate development. Let's examine this strategy, its significance, and the tools you may use to put it into practice.

**What is CI/CD?**

Continuous integration and continuous delivery are abbreviated as CI and CD, respectively. In its basic form, continuous integration (CI) is a current software development process in which incremental code changes are done regularly and reliably. CI-triggered automated build-and-test stages ensure that code changes merged into the repository are stable. The code is provided swiftly and flawlessly as part of the CD process. The CI/CD pipeline in the software industry describes the automation that allows incremental code changes from developers' workstations to be delivered rapidly and reliably to production.

**What is the difference between CI and CD?**


- Continuous Integration (CI) is a software development approach that assists developers in incorporating changes to their code into the project's main branch as frequently as feasible. It helps avoid potential integration issues and makes tracking changes easier.

- Continuous Delivery (CD) is a software delivery method that assures the release of all new features, patches, and updates in a quality-controlled way. It reduces the possibility of introducing bugs into the live system.

- Continuous Deployment (CD) is a software deployment method that automates the distribution of new versions of programs to selected servers. It ensures that apps are constantly available and satisfy customers' expectations.

In summary, CI is a set of practices conducted while developers produce code. In contrast, CD is a set of processes performed after the code is completed.


**Why do we need CI/CD?**
CI/CD streamlines integrating, releasing, and deploying software while eliminating conventional obstacles. It contributes to the more significant objective of agile methodology, which is to shorten the software development lifecycle, and to the DevOps strategy, which is to align development and operations teams.

In addition to supporting these larger goals, CI/CD enables you to:

- **Increased Release Rate**
DevOps is about increasing the rate at which new software versions are released. A well-functioning CI/CD pipeline can assist in this goal by automating the deployment process and lowering the amount of human effort necessary. It shortens feedback loops, allowing for more testing and validation, resulting in a more reliable product.

- **Standardize procedures:** Automating the merge, test, delivery, and deployment processes standardize the pipeline, whereas manual execution always involves the risk of human mistakes, such as running tests in the wrong order.

- **Reduce delivery risk:** Testing each change before it is released delivers a higher quality product and a lower rate of defects in production. Customers will receive an enhanced product, and the development team will spend less time resolving urgent flaws uncovered after release.

GitHub Actions, Jenkins, GitLab, Xcode Cloud, Atlassian Bamboo, and CircleCI, are some of the popular CI/CD frameworks. 


**Summary**


CI/CD is an effective method for ensuring the success of software development initiatives. It aids in the automation of the development and testing of code and the distribution of updates to users. However, it is crucial to remember that CI/CD does not solve all problems. Its advantages will vary based on the project and organization. I hope you found this essay informative.

**Resources**
[spacelift.io/blog/ci-cd-pipeline](https://spacelift.io/blog/ci-cd-pipeline)

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