A CI/CD (Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment) pipeline automates the process of integrating code changes, testing, and deploying applications. It enables developers to deliver updates more frequently and reliably.
**Key Steps in a CI/CD Pipeline:**
1. **Code Integration:** Developers push code to a shared repository. Tools like GitLab or GitHub trigger the pipeline automatically upon each commit.
2. **Build:** The code is compiled and dependencies are installed to create an executable version of the software.
3. **Testing:** Automated tests (unit, integration, etc.) are run to verify the code's functionality.
4. **Deployment:** If tests pass, the code is automatically deployed to staging or production environments.
5. **Monitoring:** After deployment, the application is monitored to ensure stability.
This pipeline helps to catch issues early, reduce manual efforts, and improve the overall quality of the software release process.
