Architecting a build pipeline

Build pipelines are the progression of logical development, quality and delivery steps; these steps define the way a software project will be built, delivered, and tested. By implementing build pipelines, we are crafting a solution where build packages or containers flow through repeatable delivery processes in a continuous manner. Gates are added to the pipeline to ensure that quality metrics are collected, and integration defects are identified. Each gate defined in the pipeline represents a go/no-go determination. Eventually, the automation solution vets and releases a build through the complete pipeline and into a production or released status.

As we hinted earlier, production does not always need to apply to cloud-based software or rack-mounted servers. The production or released status of a build pipeline simply represents the end goal. For embedded solutions or shrink-wrapped software, build pipelines can still provide high levels of value, and can further...