CI/CD: Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery
CI/CD (Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery) is a software development method for regularly delivering apps to customers by automating various stages of app development. The key concepts of CI/CD are continuous integration, continuous delivery, and continuous deployment. CI/CD solves problems that can arise when integrating new code for development and operational teams.
CI/CD provides continuous automation and monitoring throughout the entire app lifecycle, from integration and testing phases to delivery and launch. Together, this is often called a "CI/CD pipeline."
What is CI/CD exactly?
The CI/CD pipeline has three phases: Continuous Integration, Continuous Delivery, and Continuous Deployment.
Continuous Integration
CI stands for Continuous Integration, which is a robust automation process for developers that helps streamline the app development process. When working on an app, multiple developers often collaborate on the same codebase to finish it as quickly as possible. However, merging pieces of code can be time-consuming and arduous.
This is where Continuous Integration comes in. Whenever a developer changes the codebase, the system immediately validates it. The validation process involves automatically building the app and running automated tests at different levels.
These tests ensure that the introduced changes don't break the app. Everything is put through its paces, from testing classes and functions to different modules that form the app. If there are any conflicts between new and existing code, CI identifies them and helps developers fix bugs quickly.
Continuous Delivery
"CD" in CI/CD often refers to Continuous Delivery, a process that takes over where CI ends. Continuous Delivery is responsible for automating the release of validated code into a repository that is ready for deployment. It’s an extension of CI and relies heavily on it.
In Continuous Delivery, each phase is designed to automate tests and code releases. The ultimate objective of Continuous Delivery is to have a codebase that is always ready for deployment in a production environment, ensuring a smooth and efficient delivery process.
Continuous Deployment
In some cases, “CD” in CI/CD can also refer to Continuous Deployment. Similar to a relay race where one runner takes over from another, Continuous Deployment takes over from Continuous Delivery.
Continuous Deployment automates the release of an application, ensuring that a developer's change to a cloud application can go live within minutes of writing it. This makes it much easier to continuously receive feedback from users, resulting in a quicker turnaround time.
The entire CI/CD process reduces app development risk by breaking changes into smaller, more manageable pieces rather than introducing everything at once.
CI/CD tools
CI/CD tools can help a team automate their development, deployment, and testing. Below are the tools used by Tuple.
GitHub Actions
GitHub Actions is the tool on which the entire CI/CD process runs. It provides a platform for automating the build, test, and deployment pipeline. Workflows can also be created that build and test each pull request to a repository and deploy merged pull requests.
CodeClimate
To ensure the delivery of high-quality code, our developers often use a tool called CodeClimate for testing. CodeClimate tests the quality of the code and provides recommendations for improvement when it finds poorly written code. It also shows developers where the code can be improved.
Dependabot
Another tool we use is Dependabot. Dependabot helps you keep your dependencies up to date. The tool checks your dependency files for outdated information every day. It ensures that we can work with the latest and safest releases.
Docker
Docker is a tool that allows applications to run on virtual machines. This makes running an app developed for Windows on a macOS device (and vice versa) possible.
AWS
AWS also offers various tools to help with the CI/CD process. We use AWS CodePipeline in combination with AWS CodeDeploy. AWS CodePipeline is a continuous delivery service that allows you to design, visualize, and automate the steps needed to deploy software. AWS CodeDeploy is a service that automates code deployments.
CI/CD stands for Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery/Deployment. It is a set of practices that involve automating the build, test, and deployment of software applications to make the process faster and more efficient.
The benefits of using CI/CD include faster time to market, improved quality of software, reduced risk of errors, and increased efficiency.
CI/CD works by automating the software development process, starting from code changes and ending with the deployment of the application. It involves using tools and techniques to build, test, and deploy the software automatically.
Continuous Delivery (CD) is the process of automatically deploying a software application to a staging environment for testing and approval. Continuous Deployment (CD) takes it a step further by automatically deploying the application to production once it passes the tests.
To implement CI/CD in your organisation, you need to define a clear process for building, testing, and deploying software applications. You also need to choose the right tools and technologies to automate the process.
Some best practices for implementing CI/CD include using version control systems, automating the build process, testing early and often, and creating a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement.
Some challenges of using CI/CD include the complexity of implementing it, the need for a culture shift within the organisation, and the requirement for skilled resources to manage the process.
To optimise your CI/CD process, you can use tools to automate tasks such as testing and deployment, monitor the process for bottlenecks and inefficiencies, and continuously review and improve the process based on feedback and metrics.
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