Definition
CI/CD, or Continuous Integration Continuous Delivery, is a set of practices that automate the stages of software development, from building code to deploying it. It involves developers frequently merging code changes into a central repository, after which automated builds and tests are run. This process ensures that software is always in a deployable state, leading to faster release cycles and improved product quality. For example, a developer might push a code update, triggering an automated pipeline that builds, tests, and deploys the application to a staging environment. While often used interchangeably, Continuous Delivery focuses on making code ready for release, whereas Continuous Deployment automatically deploys every validated change to production. Understanding CI/CD is crucial for cloud architecture and security certifications like CCSP and AWS SAA.