What is meant by CI/CD pipeline?

A CI/CD pipeline is a modern software development practice that automates the entire process of software delivery. It helps developers write code, run tests, and frequently deploy new software and upgrades. The primary aim of building CI/CD pipelines is to increase SDLC efficiency, reduce manual errors, and facilitate fast product iterations.

What do CI and CD mean?

CI stands for Continuous Integration - a development technique that enables developers to frequently integrate their code changes. With this approach, an automated build checks each integration to look for errors. On the other hand, CD stands for Continuous Delivery - the next phase of Continuous Integration. It automatically deploys all code changes to a testing and/or production environment after the build stage.

What are the CI/CD pipeline steps?

There are five main steps of a CI/CD pipeline: Source - A CI/CD pipeline is triggered by a code repository. Build - The pipeline writes and compiles the source code. Test - Automated tests of the CI-CD pipeline to validate the code Deliver - The codebase is delivered to a runtime environment for integration and quality control. Deploy - Code modifications start, and the entire product enters the production environment.

What is the difference between Agile and CI/CD?

Comparing Agile with CI/CD does not make sense as these two are heavily interconnected. Agile is a modern software development method that includes practices like open communication, teamwork, iterative process, as well as Continuous Integration and Continuous Development. CI/CD is a DevOps technique that enables developers to use the right automated testing tools to implement Agile development.

Which is the best CI/CD pipeline?

An efficient CI/CD pipeline has a set of fundamental features that every organization must take into consideration, such as: Cloud and Version Control Agnosticism, Graphical Pipeline View, Reusable Pipelines for Microservices, Standardized Plugin Mechanism, Native Support for Kubernetes, Helm, and Docker, SaaS, On-prem, and Hybrid Installation Methods.

Introduction to CI/CD Pipelines: Your All-in-One CI/CD Guide 2025