What Is a CI/CD Pipeline?
A CI/CD pipeline is an automated sequence of steps — building, testing, and deploying code — that runs whenever changes are pushed, replacing manual release...
Published October 9, 2026
A CI/CD pipeline is an automated sequence of steps — building, testing, and deploying code — that runs whenever changes are pushed, replacing manual release processes.
Why it exists
- Manually running tests and deploying code is slow, easy to skip under pressure, and prone to human error
- An automated pipeline runs the exact same steps every time, consistently and quickly, for every change
How to apply it
- A typical pipeline: install dependencies, run automated tests, build the application, then deploy it if every prior step succeeded
- Keep pipeline steps fast and reliable — a slow or flaky pipeline discourages developers from pushing changes frequently
FAQ
Do I need Continuous Deployment for a CI/CD pipeline to be useful?
No — even a pipeline that only automates building and testing (CI), without automatic deployment, still provides major value by catching problems before they reach production.