One of the most important roles of DevOps practice is to automate SDLC processes as much as possible. Standard SDLC processes include transferring the developed feature to live environments and customers from the moment the software developer starts working on the code. There are many steps in this process, such as various security, quality, unit and integration tests and approvals. DevOps teams design these steps, placing emphasis on agility, and ensure that the processes are completed as quickly as possible. A manifest containing interconnected systems is created, and this manifest includes the processes from the beginning of the code to its delivery to the customer. These manifests are called pipelines in the DevOps culture and have two different concepts: CI / CD.
The term CI/CD refers to a set of definitions. CI (Continuous Integration) defines the automatic testing of developed code and its integration into a repository shared by developers. CD, on the other hand, encompasses two different definitions, Continuous Delivery and Continuous Deployment. Continuous Delivery involves automating the process of testing changes made by developers to the code and incorporating the created artifacts into a shared repository. Continuous Deployment, on the other hand, involves automatically deploying the developed product from the artifact repository to live environments.
These terms have emerged in recent years and include short-time completion processes for multiple software developers working on a project, joint work effectively without interfering with each other, and improvements to speed up delivery processes to the customer as much as possible. CI includes principles that can help software developers quickly and safely integrate code changes into a shared repository or trunk. The CD, on the other hand, includes practices that reduce processes that slow down delivery time and include error-free deployment steps, such as manually deploying the release containing the changes made by the software developers to the customer environment. CI/CD lines can be connected to each other like a chain and processes can be automated through pipelines.
There are multiple tools available in the market to automate CI/CD processes depending on the needs. Most of these tools are similar in principle and generally have the same operating principles. However, organizations choose one of the tools according to their ecosystem. For example, if Atlassian products are used frequently within the organization, Bamboo, which is compatible and integrated with this product family and is also a CI/CD tool within Atlassian, is preferred. Or, if the organization prefers an open source system, a lot of plugin support for various needs and a free tool, it can choose the very popular Jenkins. AzureDevOps, developed by Microsoft, has become very popular lately and is preferred by organizations because it includes many features such as repository, artifactory, pipelines, boards and test plans.
Any of these CI/CD tools from this wide range can be chosen. What needs to be ensured is the effective implementation of CI and CD principles. In the CI pipeline, steps such as code built by developers, tests run, security checks performed, and quality tests successfully completed must be included. In the CD pipeline, the code that has passed CI tests should be structured appropriately for deployment needs according to schedules, instant or rollback scenarios.
DevOps practices, particularly Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD), represents a paradigm shift in software development. By automating SDLC processes and improving collaboration among developers, organizations can achieve greater agility, efficiency, and reliability in delivering software solutions to their customers. The integration of CI/CD principles not only accelerates time-to-market but also enhances product quality through continuous testing and deployment.