A CI/CD pipeline or “Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery” pipeline is a form of workflow used to automate and streamline software delivery from the source code to production. It’s a process that allows business organizations to ensure safe and secure software (infrastructure)-as-a-code delivery. The term “pipeline” stands for the process of automating software delivery workflows.

It consists of four different stages: build, test, delivery, and deployment. Though you can take a manual approach to each stage, automation allows you to arrange the steps according to your needs, reduce human error, and save time.

Whether developing products for Apple or building apps for social media networks, nothing goes on in the world of software deployment without the need to pass through the CI/CD pipeline. Today, we’ll delve deeper into the lifecycle of a CI/CD pipeline and the benefits it provides.

CI/CD pipeline lifecycle

The CI/CD pipeline lifecycle starts with writing the source code, followed by the testing, delivery, and deployment (production) stages. These four stages are critical parts of every CI/CD pipeline. Let’s briefly explain them for your consideration.

Build

The build stage involves writing the source code for the CI/CD pipeline project. Software delivery companies usually employ a team of programmers to do the coding using a Git-based workflow to control any changes that are being made in the repository (GitOps).

A version control system (VCS) like JFrog is the best solution for storing and preserving code. JFrog provides various DevOps solutions for hosting, managing, and distributing binary software. If your company works with configuration files, libraries, container images, and app installers, JFrog is the perfect VCS for you.

If you need to add new code to the existing repository in the pipeline, tools like docker containers are particularly useful for inspecting the code for any irregularities and differences.

Test

The testing phase helps your DevOps teams assess the code’s performance and ascertain whether it will perform according to expectations and requirements. If any errors are detected, your team can introduce a more varied infrastructure for greater code resiliency.

The most common tests applied in code testing include:

  • Smoke testing;
  • Integration testing;
  • Unit testing;
  • Compliance testing;
  • End-to-end testing.

Since code testing involves a lot of repetitive work, you should automate this CI/CD pipeline stage to avoid mistakes and expedite software delivery.

Delivery

After the code passes the testing phase, it travels further down the CI/CD pipeline to receive proper packaging and enter the preparation stage before committing to a repository.

Deployment

The final stage of the CI/CD pipeline involves arranging the artifact release. The most common practice is to deploy a software product to multiple environments for end-user consumption and internal use.

If everything goes according to plan, you can automatically deploy to a staging environment for review and approval. Once the code passes all verification phases, it is ready for deployment to production.

How a CI/CD pipeline benefits your organization

Adopting a CI/CD pipeline model can help your company in various ways:

  • Reduced costs

Since a CI/CD pipeline automates a healthy portion of your software development and deployment lifecycle, it expedites code delivery, thus saving the time, effort, and resources necessary to code and deploy any software infrastructure.

  • Faster deployment

Automation saves time in deploying software to production. A CI/CD automates the entire process and streamlines every phase, from the initial stage to deployment, making the process more cost-effective and time-efficient.

Since automation empowers your team to focus on the core tasks, you can make deployments more often and gain a competitive edge over your competition.

  • Reduced human error

The absence of manual work reduces human error significantly, making the code less prone to errors. In addition, even if there are errors in the coding process, these are quicker and easier to mitigate.

  • Continuous feedback

You can set a notification system to keep your DevOps team up to date with the progress across each CI/CD phase throughout the pipeline lifecycle. If there are problems at each stage, your team will be ready to take action promptly.

  • Improved team collaboration

The team gains full access to all pipeline-related problems and can easily exchange feedback across all verticals in your organization. In case the pipeline requires an urgent reaction, your team will be able to act accordingly.

Conclusion

CI/CD pipelines can benefit your business in various ways and give you a competitive edge in the cloud-native business landscape.

This software delivery and deployment model can enhance every aspect of your software delivery operations by automating vital phases such as building, testing, delivery, and deployment.

Adopting a pipeline-based workflow empowers your business organization to mitigate coding errors, save time and resources, and ensure timely delivery of software products.