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← Back to trackModule: Pipeline Foundations

INTERMEDIATE · Easy · 35m

What CI/CD really automates

CI/CD: Starter to Shipping

Lesson notes

Goal

Understand what CI/CD automates and how it reduces risk in shipping software.

The delivery pipeline (simple)

Commit -> Build -> Test -> Package -> Deploy -> Verify -> Monitor

CI/CD is not a tool. It is a set of automated checks + repeatable steps.

CI (Continuous Integration)

Focus: integrating code changes safely. Typical automation:

  • install dependencies
  • build
  • unit tests
  • lint/typecheck

CD (Continuous Delivery / Deployment)

Focus: releasing reliably. Typical automation:

  • create artifact (Docker image)
  • deploy to staging
  • run integration tests
  • optional approval
  • deploy to production (delivery) or auto deploy (deployment)

What to automate first

  1. Build + unit tests (fast feedback)
  2. Lint/typecheck (cheap)
  3. Packaging (reproducible artifacts)
  4. Deploy to staging
  5. Production deploy with guardrails

Exercises

  1. Write down your current manual release steps.
  2. Convert them into a pipeline stage list.
  3. Mark which steps can be automated today.

Next Step

Design a pipeline that is fast, reliable, and easy to debug.

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340m

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What CI/CD really automates

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