A CI/CD pipeline is an automated workflow that builds, tests, and deploys software whenever changes are committed to a repository. Pipelines may include steps such as linting, compiling, running unit tests, creating artifacts, and pushing updated versions to production environments. CI/CD tools orchestrate these steps to ensure consistent, reliable releases.
Why it matters
Pipelines reduce manual work, enforce code quality, and help catch bugs early in the development lifecycle. They support rapid, safe iteration and ensure that deployments are reproducible. Pipelines are a key practice in DevOps and modern cloud engineering.
Examples
GitHub Actions workflows, GitLab CI pipelines, or Jenkins jobs that run automated tests and deploy containers. Lessons like Build and Test Pipelines explain pipeline mechanics.