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C ontinuous integration and continuous deployment ( CI/CD) is defined as a set of operating principles and capabilities that enables software changes to be delivered to users in a timely, repeatable, and secure manner by introducing automation into software development processes. This article discusses the need and importance of a CI/CD pipeline and recommends the best practices for 2022.

What Is CI/CD?

C ontinuous integration and continuous deployment ( CI/CD) is a set of ideas, processes, and capabilities that enables software changes to be delivered to users in a timely, repeatable, and secure manner by introducing automation into software development processes.

CI/CD Pipeline

CI/CD Pipeline

From merging codes to testing builds, continuous integration (CI) validates all the stages of the development process while optimizing the code release cycles through automation capabilities. This, in turn, minimizes the probability of extended feature development cycles and related issues like merge conflicts.

Continuous deployment (CD) focuses on setting up a bundled artifact into a production environment in the fastest way possible. It automates the whole distribution process, including deployment.

62% of the teams at an advanced stage of their DevOps evolution process adopted CI/CD workflows in 2020. This number continues to rise due to the benefits and scope offered by these processes. ( Statista , 2020)

Understanding the Process of CI/CD

Developers frequently commit codes to version control systems such as GitHub, which start the CI process. The code quality can be determined by scanning or analyzing it with static code analysis tools. The CI process creates the final build after running automated tests, such as unit and integration tests.

Implementing CI is the first essential step for a developer to create high-quality code. Several CI tools are available, including Harness CI, CircleCI, and Travis CI. Code changes are deployed automatically into production in the final stage of the CI/CD pipeline once the build has passed all tests.

The technical purpose of CI is to create a standardized and automated process for developing, packaging, and testing programs. Most developer teams are inclined toward code changes when the integration process achieves better cooperation and software quality. On the other hand, the CD begins where CI ends to ensure that the code changes are automatically pushed to the selected infrastructure environments.

CI/CD refers to a pipeline where you can submit new code on one end, let it get tested through phases such as sourcing, building, staging, and production, and then finally release it as a ready-for-production code.

In the CI/CD pipeline, each stage serves as a gate that verifies a specific feature of the code. The premise is that, as the code travels through the pipeline, its quality will improve since developers will check more aspects of it. Early-stage problems prevent the code from advancing through the channel. Results of these tests are promptly communicated. If the software fails a stage, all subsequent builds and releases are halted.

These steps are only recommendations and can be changed based on the organization's requirements. You can also repeat the steps for testing, security, performance, and other reasons. Also, one can make changes at different levels based on a particular project.

See More: What Is DevOps? Definition, Goals, Methodology, and Best Practices

Top 8 Benefits of CI/CD

Companies attempt to deploy features as quickly as possible to stay competitive in the market. A seamless CI/CD pipeline is the perfect platform for such short release cycles. The pipeline comprises several DevOps automation tools and frameworks that assist developers, testers, operations teams, and other project participants in delivering software to end-users.

Benefits of CI/CD

Benefits of CI/CD

This allows the teams to be more agile while also improving the overall efficiency of the software delivery process. The groundwork for creating a pipeline might take a long time and may need a high learning curve, but the advantages far outweigh the time, expense, and effort required.

Let's look at the top advantages of installing a CI/CD pipeline to understand why many companies have switched.

1. Higher efficiency

Increased productivity is one of the leading advantages of a CI/CD pipeline. You should automate your process if you have a review process that includes deploying code to development, testing, and production environments and entering multiple commands across several domains. This creates the need for a CI/CD framework.

2. Reduced risk of defects

Finding and resolving defects late in the development process is costly and time-consuming. This is particularly true when problems arise with features already released to production.

You can test and deploy code more frequently using a CI/CD pipeline, giving QA engineers the power to identify and fix errors as soon as they occur. This way, you're effectively mitigating risks in real-time.

3. Faster product delivery

With a smooth CI/CD workflow, multiple daily releases can become a reality. Teams can automatically build, test, and deliver features with minimal manual intervention. Docker, Kubernetes, and Travis CI are some of the tools and frameworks that can be used to accomplish this.

CD enables your team to provide customers with frequent and timely updates . When CI / CD is used , the entire team's efficiency increases , including the release of new features and fixes to problems . Businesses can address market shifts , security challenges , consumer needs , and financial pressures faster .

If a new security feature is required , your team can use CI / CD and automated testing to introduce the fix to production systems faster and with higher assurance . What used to take weeks or months to finish can now be completed in days or even hours .

4. Log generation

Observability is pivotal for DevOps. If something isn't right, you need to figure out why. You'll need a way to track the system's performance over time to determine essential performance indicators. Observability is a technical tool that aids in this endeavor.

Logging information plays a vital role in observability. Logs provide a large volume of information to decipher what's happening beneath the UI and study program behavior. A CI/CD pipeline generates a lot of logging data at every level of the software development process .

5. Quick rollback if required

One of the most exclusive benefits of a CI/CD pipeline is that it leads to the quick and easy rollback of code changes if there are any issues in the production environment after a release. If any new code change breaks a feature or general application, you can revert to its previous stable version right away. You can deploy the most recent successful build instantly to avoid production interruptions.

6. Better planning

Organizational designs must be adaptable to changing economic conditions . However, it's difficult for development and testing teams to adapt to rapid changes in dynamic business conditions . A CI/CD pipeline enables organizations to accomplish this by ensuring that they have a well – organized surplus of items and a continuous line of communication with clients.

7. Efficient testing & monitoring

Testing entails automating each test case and experimenting with the program. Any cycle that needs to be repeated over time should be automated, and there are enough innovations available to achieve this goal. Manual testing measures must be evaluated for possible automation outcomes, and in the vast majority of circumstances, there will be ways to automate the equivalent.

The code delivery cycle should create the possibility of running the test suite on each product assembly built without client intervention, resulting in a defined goal of providing quality delivery quickly.

Using continuous monitoring, Ops teams can oversee and ensure that the application is running as expected and that the environment is stable. They must ensure that the applications perform optimally.

This involves the deployment of software that can monitor application health and issues. It may also be necessary for the Ops team to collaborate with the development team to build self-observing or investigation gathering capabilities directly into the applications. Developers have to consider checking the product from start to finish continually.

8. Cost-effectiveness

The CI/CD pipeline takes a different approach to software delivery. It can be compared to an assembling unit's delivery pipeline. In any business situation, time and assets are essential. Firms are expected to respond to client demands quickly and effectively with such requirements.

With automated testing hooks at every stage, developers can fix issues early and avoid critical issues in the production environment. With the implementation of a CI/CD pipeline, code quality improves drastically, which, in turn, improves the overall ROI.

See More: What Is DevOps Lifecycle? Definition, Key Components, and Management Best Practices

Top 10 CI/CD Best Practices for 2022

With changing development technologies and consumer preferences, there has been an increase in demand for faster innovation, early product development, and quicker releases to the market. Different sections of the SDLC must speed up their respective delivery processes to meet deadlines. This is where CI/CD has helped speed up and streamline internal procedures.

Here, we have listed the top 10 CI/CD best practices you should be familiar with in 2022.

CI/CD Best Practices

Benefits of CI/CD

1. Avoid branching and merge code daily

Developers are encouraged to merge their code from the local branch into the main unit daily. This reduces the complication of conflicts and merging errors. They should also avoid creating multiple branches because it complicates the process of version control. By committing smaller chunks of code into the repository, developers are not required to deal with massive integration conflicts while merging many branches into the central unit just before the production release.

Also, one should avoid generating source code multiple times in a release cycle. It should be built only once in the final stage and pushed to a clean production environment.

2. Automate the maximum number of tests possible

Sort the test cases into manual and automated testing categories. Automating common test scenarios and requiring specialized knowledge is always a good option. Human error is a risk in any endeavor that requires manual work. Automation lowers this risk and allows staff to focus on higher-value tasks.

Be it dependency collection or configuration updates, DevOps and site reliability engineering ( SRE) teams can automate all of them to minimize the risks of errors and focus better on building code and delivering quality digital services.

3. Run multiple tests simultaneously

Running many tests simultaneously speeds up the testing process and reduces the overall turnaround time. If your infrastructure is restricted, consider using a cloud-based testing infrastructure. Also, begin with easier tests to be more productive. Tests are frequently categorized as lightweight or heavyweight, requiring distinct timelines and resources.

4. Opt for a clean testing environment

Make sure you're testing in a clean setting free of any leftover effects from earlier experiments. This is frequently a disposable setting that is abandoned with each new test. Containers are recommended to prevent concerns about the lingering impact on new experiments. Containers reduce the effects of different host environments and allow the components to be integrated using standard APIs.

5. Follow version management

When testing apps, issues/flaws missed in prior releases surface frequently. This condition necessitates root cause analysis, which might take long and leave the production environment with missing functionalities. It is advised that developers roll back the changes they made to resolve bugs in previous releases. You'll need a version control system for this task.

6. Simplify the code migration process

Migrating code from development to staging and then to the production environment can be tedious. You can automate such code migrations by executing single-click code transfer scripts, saving time and effort. The ability to improve operational and production capabilities is increased by incorporating such a technique into the infrastructure.

7. Adopt one-way mechanism

Make sure your process chain is only run through the CI/CD pipeline. Working in the CI/CD pipeline necessitates the following best practices across the entire process chain. All adjustments to internal processes need to be made following pipeline standards and policies. Any failure would prohibit the procedure from progressing to the next level unless the problem is resolved. As a result, clean code is delivered to production.

8. Opt for continuous feedback

A continual feedback mechanism is critical for ensuring that automation tools work correctly and produce expected results. Feedback will aid in understanding errors and correcting test scripts, ensuring that flawless code reaches the production stage. Uncertain reports frequently create the need for reworking test scripts. Overall, continual feedback aids in detecting defects, rewriting code, and improvement of test methods.

9. Maintain transparency

To be successful, DevOps teams must work in perfect harmony with the rest of the departments. A continuous integration approach facilitates openness in the process chain by providing regular progress updates on test cases. As a result, team communication, testing quality, and overall efficiency are improved.

10. Go for the right tooling

While the factors mentioned above outline the way to successful test automation using a CI/CD pipeline, correct tooling is critical to success. It's imperative to select CI/CD technologies to handle the various testing task parameters. Searching for such valuable tools helps developers avoid deviations during the product development process.

See More: DevOps vs. Agile Methodology: Key Differences and Similarities

Takeaway

Businesses looking to improve application performance and quality need a dependable delivery procedure. As the best CI/CD technologies become visible in the marketplace and on DevOps' desktops, we will soon witness a shake-up soon. While Netflix, the poster child for continuous integration and delivery, can complete integration, testing, and delivery in hours, most businesses are far from that efficiency level.

Given the benefits to organizations, it's a worthwhile goal to pursue. When you combine continuous integration and delivery with your company objectives, you'll be on your way to improving your software delivery timelines and your bottom line.

Did this article help you understand how CI/CD works? Let us know on LinkedIn , Twitter , or Facebook . We'd love to hear from you!