CI/CD (Continuous Integration / Continuous Delivery / Deployment) is a practice of automating the building, testing, and deployment of applications.
Key Concepts
- CI (Continuous Integration) — frequent merging of code changes into the main branch with automated testing.
- CD (Continuous Delivery) — automatic preparation of an application for release (deployment is triggered manually).
- CD (Continuous Deployment) — automatic deployment to production immediately after successful tests.
Typical CI/CD Pipeline Structure
- Build – compiling the project
- Test – running unit and integration tests
- Lint – code style and syntax checks
- Package – creating an artifact (.jar, Docker image, etc.)
- Deploy – deploying to a server or cluster
Popular CI/CD Tools
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
| Jenkins | Classic automation server |
| GitLab CI | Built-in CI/CD for GitLab |
| GitHub Actions | Automation via GitHub workflows |
| ArgoCD | GitOps tool for Kubernetes |
| Drone CI | Lightweight CI for Docker environments |
Example .gitlab-ci.yml
- build
- test
- deploy
build:
stage: build
script:
- echo "Building the project..."
- make build
test:
stage: test
script:
- echo "Running tests..."
- make test
deploy:
stage: deploy
script:
- echo "Deploying application..."
- make deploy
only:
- main
Common CI/CD Commands
| Command | Purpose |
|---|---|
| docker build | Build a Docker container |
| docker push | Push an image to a registry |
| kubectl apply -f | Apply a Kubernetes manifest |
| helm upgrade | Deploy or update an app in Kubernetes |
| ansible-playbook | Execute deployment playbooks |
CI/CD Pipeline Best Practices
- Break down pipelines into small, independent steps
- Minimize execution time (through parallelization and caching)
- Deploy only after successful testing
- Store secrets in secure vaults (e.g., HashiCorp Vault, AWS Secrets Manager)
- Implement rollback strategies for failed deployments
Quick Stage Examples
Build Stage (Python):
python setup.py sdist
Test Stage (Node.js):
npm test
Deploy Stage (Docker + Kubernetes):
docker push myregistry/myapp:latest
kubectl rollout restart deployment myapp-deployment
Mini CI/CD Engineer Checklist
✅ Validate the CI configuration syntax
✅ Ensure all tests pass
✅ Properly configure secrets
✅ Separate environments (dev / stage / prod)
✅ Test rollback functionality
Serverspace and CI/CD
Want to simplify your CI/CD setup and always have reliable infrastructure at your fingertips? With Serverspace, you can deploy virtual machines in just a few minutes, automate application delivery using a powerful API, and scale your infrastructure effortlessly to meet growing demand. Whether you're building from scratch or migrating an existing project, Serverspace offers flexible tools and support to make the transition smooth and secure. Plus, thanks to a rich Cloud Marketplace, you can launch pre-configured environments — including Docker, Kubernetes, GitLab, and other popular DevOps tools — with a single click. It’s an ideal solution for developers and teams who want to focus on delivery, not infrastructure. Try Serverspace and supercharge your CI/CD and DevOps workflows today!