Continuous Integration (CI) is a software development practice that involves integrating code changes from multiple developers into a shared repository several times a day. Each integration is then verified by an automated build and testing process to detect any issues or conflicts that may arise due to the changes.
The main objective of CI is to catch and fix errors as early as possible in the development cycle, to ensure that the code is always in a releasable state, and to reduce the risk of integration problems or delays. By automating the integration and testing process, developers can identify and fix issues quickly, and have confidence in the quality of the code.
CI is often used in combination with other practices, such as automated testing, continuous delivery (CD), and DevOps. Some of the benefits of CI include:
- Early bug detection: CI ensures that issues are detected and addressed early in the development cycle, reducing the cost and time required to fix them.
- Faster development cycles: CI allows developers to integrate code changes more frequently, speeding up the development process and enabling faster time-to-market for new features and applications.
- Improved collaboration: CI encourages collaboration among developers, as they work on shared code and can quickly identify and address any issues that arise.
- Greater reliability: CI promotes a more reliable and stable codebase, as the automated testing process helps to catch and prevent errors before they can cause problems in production.
To implement CI, development teams typically use a continuous integration server or tool, which automatically compiles and tests code changes, and provides feedback to developers. Common CI tools include Jenkins, Travis CI, and CircleCI, among others.
