What is CI/CD?
Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment. A method to frequently deliver apps to customers by introducing automation into the stages of app development.
Deep Dive
CI/CD bridges the gap between development and operation activities. 'Continuous Integration' means code changes from multiple developers are automatically merged and tested.
'Continuous Deployment' means those changes are automatically pushed to production (live site) if they pass all tests.
Key Takeaways
- Enables rapid release cycles (shipping features daily).
- Reduces bugs via automated testing pipelines.
- Standard for modern agile teams.
- Tools: GitHub Actions, Jenkins, Vercel.
Why This Matters Now
In the old days, software was released once a year on a CD. Bugs stayed for months. CI/CD changed software from a 'Product' to a 'Service'.
It is the assembly line of modern code. Every time a developer saves a file, a robot wakes up, runs 500 tests, checks for security flaws, and if everything is green, publishes it to the world in minutes.
Common Myths & Misconceptions
It's too dangerous to deploy automatically.
Reality:It's actually safer. Deploying small changes daily is less risky than deploying one massive change annually. If it breaks, you know exactly which line caused it.
It requires a huge DevOps team.
Reality:Platforms like Vercel and Netlify have 'Zero Config' CI/CD built-in. You connect your GitHub, and it just works.
Real-World Use Cases
Hotfixes: Fixing a typo on the homepage and having it live in 2 minutes without waking up the SysAdmin.
Feature Flags: Deploying a new feature but hiding it behind a flag so only employees can see it first.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between CD and CD?
Continuous Delivery vs Continuous Deployment. 'Delivery' means the code is *ready* to go live (but a human clicks the button). 'Deployment' means the robot clicks the button.
Why do I need tests?
Without automated tests, CI/CD is just a pipeline to ship bugs faster. The tests are the safety net.
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