What is Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery ?

CI CD stands for Continuous integration and Continuous delivery. It is a development approach that helps teams build software quickly and reliably. In the past, teams had to configure individual hardware and software systems one at a time. This required a custom setup for each system, as well as a custom process for updating each system. This goes against the fundamental ideal of CD.

Continuous integration (CI):

Continuous integration and continuous deployment are two related processes that use automation to ensure the quality of software releases. These processes focus on automating the validation of software builds before they are deployed. This approach allows software engineering teams to set a baseline for quality and consistency. Although they have similar goals, the two approaches differ in their execution. The key difference between the two processes is their approach to implementing software releases. Continuous Integration (CI) ensures that new software is available to customers as soon as it is complete. The benefits of this approach are numerous. First, it helps developers release code more frequently. Second, it makes changes easier to track and troubleshoot. Third, it reduces the time required for software releases to be deployed into the CD pipeline.

Continuous delivery (CD):

Continuous delivery is a software development methodology that focuses on delivering new software features as often as possible. The main benefit of this methodology is its ability to eliminate manual steps and ensure smooth software deployment. The practice enables teams to create an automated CI/CD pipeline that can deliver new features quickly and efficiently. It is ideal for organizations that want to release new features on a daily basis. The approach involves cross-functional collaboration to ensure that every feature is tested and is ready for production. It also emphasizes the ability to rollback previously released production features. Continuous delivery involves a number of practices that make the software development process more efficient and streamlined. These practices include automated code builds, deployments, and creation of new development environments. It also seeks to eliminate downtime by ensuring that new functions are tested and validated before being deployed.

Shift left philosophy

The shift left philosophy in CI CD is a method of testing that places the customer in the center of the process. This approach reduces the chance of severe bugs occurring near the end of the cycle. In addition, it reduces the TAT of bug discovery and fixing phases, which benefits the entire value chain. The shift left philosophy encourages developers to build robust systems with unit tests, continuous automated testing, and constant alignment between configurations. This philosophy also encourages developers to ship code quickly and distribute the responsibility for service resilience among teams.

Costs

CI/CD is a popular way to streamline the delivery of software projects, but it also comes with some costs. Not only does it require more resources than a traditional software development model, it can also introduce non-functional requirements, which can be costly for a business. Software platforms can also be expensive, especially if they require the support of both the development and operations teams. The cost of implementing a CI/CD pipeline includes development, quality assurance, and opportunity costs. Some of these costs are hidden, while others are obvious but need to be accounted for. While the cost of implementing a CI/CD pipeline is significant, it is well worth the benefits.

Benefits

One of the main advantages of CI/CD is the ability to deploy software on demand based on business needs. This allows teams to release new application code when the time is right and ensure that it is free of bugs. This also reduces the risk of software failure in production, as new code is put through rigorous automated testing before release. Additionally, CI/CD provides the ability to track and report metrics. Some tools provide continuous monitoring and observability data from the production environment, which can help business leaders make important decisions.