juniorDevOps
What is CI/CD?
Updated Apr 28, 2026
Short answer
CI (Continuous Integration) automates code merging and testing. CD (Continuous Delivery/Deployment) automates release and deployment.
Deep explanation
CI ensures multiple developers can merge code into a central repository safely by automatically building and testing changes. Continuous Delivery ensures the codebase is always in a deployable state. Continuous Deployment takes it a step further by automatically releasing every good build to production without manual intervention.
Real-world example
A GitHub Action that runs npm test on every pull request, and if successful, pushes a Docker image to AWS ECR.
Common mistakes
- Confusing Continuous Delivery (manual approval for production) with Continuous Deployment (fully automated to production).
Follow-up questions
- What is the primary goal of CI?