What CI/CD Really Is

A beginner’s guide to CI/CD

A light introduction

CI/CD is a pipeline process that is used to automate steps in your software development process. This includes igniting code builds, running automated tests, and deploying to a production environment. It is a way of developing software in which changing code is a routine, you are able to release updates sustainably at any given time, and development cycles are more frequent, meaningful, and faster.

CI stands for Continuous Integration. To quote ThoughtWorks, who came up with this term- Continuous Integration is a development practice that requires developers to integrate code into a shared repository several times a day. Each check-in is then verified by an automated build, allowing teams to detect problems early. An important detail to notice is that the developers need to integrate constantly and regularly. This routine will help catch, and locate, errors faster and earlier.

CD stands for Continuous Delivery or Continuous Deployment. Continuous Delivery is sometimes also known as CDE, is a software developing procedure in which teams produce software in short cycles, ensuring that software can be released at any given time and, can be released manually. The only difference that Continuous Deployment has, is that software is deployed automatically rather than manually. According to Martin Fowler,

Continuous Deployment requires Continuous Delivery.

Principles

These simple and basic principles will help your CI/CD process function seamlessly-

Automated Builds

A single command should have the capability to build the entire system. Several such commands do exist. Automating the build process almost always includes automating deployment as well, also known as continually integrating it in a production-like environment.

Everyone can see the latest build

It should be in a public environment, such that all the developers and stakeholders can see and are aware if and when a build breaks. If it does break, it should be visible who made the change and what the change was.

Keep the builds fast

This is exactly what continuous integration stands for- building the code fast, so if there is a problem in the integration it can be easily identified.

Always keep the code in a deployable state

Automating the testing helps in maintaining a comprehensive code that can be deployed at any point in time.

Anybody should be able to deploy the code

Any of the stakeholders should be able to deploy the code with a press of a button. If you have to google how then you’re already behind.

A litmus test for CI/CD

An easy way to test if you’re already using CI/CD is to ask any of your developers to deploy the current developed code in under 20 minutes without a sweat. If it’s possible, then you’re all set!

Benefits

I have explained the main principles and what CI/CD is but the main question that remains is, why should anyone actually use it? A few of the numerous benefits with this software development process are:

• Integration issues are detected early on and can be tracked down easily, due to small changesets. This saves quite a bit of money and time over the entire lifespan of the project.
• Frequent code check-in drives developers to create modular, less complex code. It can also increase the quality of code and not just write an insane and unnecessary amount of it.
• CD lets an organization deliver new software releases to the customers quickly. This helps the company stay ahead of its competitors. Speed always wins in the market.
• Frequent releases of the product help in getting frequent feedback from consumers. This lets you work on only the more useful features of the product and create features that the consumers need and want.
• It improves the quality of the product. Since the number of bugs and errors decreases significantly. And who doesn’t want to produce a high-quality product?

Obstacles and Downsides

Customer Preference

Some consumers don’t want continuous updates on their application. Especially, during critical moments.

Cost of Transition

Implementing continuous delivery requires a lot of time, money, and effort. Changing workflow, automating the build process, and maintaining a Git repository are only a few of the things that have to be done. Don’t worry, all of these can be dealt with. However, transitioning your in-house development team to CI/CD will not be cheap at all.

Hard to maintain

Only just implementing CI/CD is not enough- they require constant support as well. Such a thing is hard for companies that offer diverse services. They have not only one pipeline but several of them and as we know, maintenance is costly.

Conclusion

After considering all the pros and cons, we can see that a CI/CD pipeline process can help your company and your programmers to work more efficiently. Now that you have the conceptual knowledge, all that’s left is to go ahead and implement this. Good Luck!

Thank You for Reading!

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Inheaden is a young IT and software startup based in Darmstadt, Germany. As an “Idea and Tech Factory”, we have set out to be a driving force of innovation, digitization, and automation with a focus on the areas of services, products, and research. Under the Inheaden brand, we work on individual “high performance” software solutions that bring a change. Modern designs, innovative technology approaches, and IT security for our partners and customers are important components of our work profile.