What Is CI/CD? — Definition

Source:-https://www.sdxcentral.com

Using automation and virtualization, development teams will build, test, deploy, and run applications in a continuous process. This is more efficient than releasing large batches of updates and patches in one go. It also means applications are released more quickly, are more up-to-date, and have better security and scalability, which is a key component of agile networking.

Continuous delivery generally refers to the continual updating and release of developer code to a repository, like GitHub, so that other developers can access and test it. Continuous deployment refers to an automated process in which the application or service is released from the repository for user access

The Process and DevOps
CI/CD is a part of the DevOps process, which emphasizes converging the software development and operational processes in order to build a more cohesive network and application pipeline.

In 2010, software researchers Jez Humble and David Farley released the book Continuous Delivery. The book highlighted the importance of incremental delivery in the process of software development, and how developers could leverage automation and deployment pipelines to build a more reliable deployment and update process.

This terminology later merged with the concept of continuous integration, in which developers integrate their code into a shared repository several times a day and continuously test it for errors or discrepancies. This reduces errors in the long run, creates a more accessible pool from which to reference code, and helps developers all stay on the same page when building an application or feature.

With DevOps, members of both the operations teams and development teams are split into smaller, mixed groups, ensuring that the two roles do not become overly siloed. Developers better understand the infrastructure and usability around an application, while operators better understand the process of building and testing the application. This creates a more suitable infrastructure for these purposes.

The DevOps process enables CI/CD, since both teams can work together to build an efficient pipeline for deployment and delivery, draw on a common pool of knowledge and resources, and more quickly test and deploy application code.

CI/CD and the Cloud
Many DevOps leaders agree that cloud applications must rely on the CI/CD process since applications are constantly scaled up and down. Applications must also be kept up to date to handle traffic demand and security threats.

Cloud enables CI/CD through containerization and microservices. Microservices are broken up, loosely-bundled services upon which an application in a container is built.

Microservices can operate independently from one another, meaning that if a service is rendered inoperable, or is removed and replaced, the application can still run as a whole without it. This means that DevOps teams can update applications in increments, instead of having to take an entire application down at once.

On a larger scale, containers can run independently of one another, meaning that DevOps teams can update one application at a time without affecting other containers on the platform.

As well, containers have a consistent deployment procedure. When an application is packaged in a container, a DevOps team merely needs to run the container, instead of having a separate, unique process for each different application. This enables operators to automate the deployment process and builds a more efficient, faster pipeline.

Because of CI/CD’s reliance and foundation in the cloud, some cloud service providers such as Google offer CI/CD as a service. In essence, the service provider will help build a pipeline for the DevOps team, offering code delivery services, automated testing, and automated code and application deployment. This can be helpful for enterprises that need to create the CI/CD pipeline, but do not have the time or resources to create automated processes from scratch.

What is CI/CD: Key Takeaways
CI/CD refers to continuous integration and continuous delivery and development.
It is a part of the DevOps process and creates more efficient pipelines in application delivery through constant code testing, integration, deployment, and updating.
CI/CD is essential to the cloud, and is better enabled through microservices and containerization.
CI/CD as a service allows service providers to offer automated pipelines for enterprises to build upon