What is CI?

CI is a DevOps software development practice in which developers regularly merge their code changes into a central repository. After each merge, automated builds and tests are run to ensure that the new code is error free and meets the project’s quality standards. This process is essential for identifying and correcting bugs more quickly, improving software quality, and reducing the time needed to validate and release new software updates. CI encourages frequent code integration, often several times a day, so that integration problems can be identified early in the development cycle and corrected more easily. It also encourages a cultural shift towards more frequent code deliveries, which is essential if we are to reap the benefits of CI’s automation and efficiency.

CI is the first phase of the CI/CD pipeline, part of the broader DevOps approach to software development. It follows the agile software development methodology, where work is broken down into...