Advantages of Implementing CI/CD Pipeline in Your Business

Today, practically the entire world runs on software. Be it for customer-facing processes or running manufacturing equipment. The point is that today's world is connected and heavily dependent on software in almost every aspect of our existence. From transportation and healthcare to communication and entertainment, software has become pivotal in how the modern world runs and operates. But allow us to drive that point home with some stats, starting with the global software market: it is expected to reach $6.3 trillion by 2023. As for how much humanity depends on software, here is another interesting stat: the average person uses 35 apps daily. 35! It sounds staggering, but it serves to demonstrate our reliance on software.

This reliance also throws light on how companies depend on it: no matter the industry in which a company may be operating, it is simply undeniable that software is a crucial part of operations. This also means that any company that wishes to remain competitive in today's cutthroat market needs to invest in developing software that will help enhance their productivity. This is especially true for development teams. So, how can development teams improve their productivity? Well, the go-to solution right now is the DevOps approach. The world has come to agree that the continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipeline, a subset of the DevOps approach, is the key to success when considering their DevOps team's successful and efficient operations.

What is the CI/CD Pipeline?

The textbook, and somewhat generic, definition of the CI/CD pipeline is a computer programming practice that endeavors to diminish the time between code changes and releases of software. This programming aims to both automate and streamline the process of creating, testing, and deploying code changes in software. To what end, you ask? Well the CI/CD pipeline not only helps development teams deliver software much more quickly but also with better quality and also with higher levels of efficiency.

Let us look at some stats that showcase the potential of this practice. According to a survey by Puppet, 77 percent of organizations that leverage CI/CD pipelines have experienced a reduction in the number of bugs in their software. In fact, the survey also found that organizations that use CI/CD pipelines are much more likely to meet their release deadlines while delivering a substantially higher customer satisfaction rate.

While in 2019, only 41 percent of organizations used CI/CD pipelines, this number is expected to reach 71 percent by 2023. If you are wondering why CI/CD pipelines are widely adopted, here are some of its top benefits to help you understand.

CI/CD Pipeline: Top Benefits

●Quicker deployment: We have noted above that a CI/CD pipeline helps with automation. But automation of what? It helps automate developing, testing, integrating, and deploying code changes. Such automation, in turn, speeds up the delivery of software updates, which means that the company can release bug fixes, improvements, and new features much more quickly than before. Not only that, but the automation also translates into a reduction in manual steps and bottlenecks, consequently enabling companies to respond to market demands and user needs much more rapidly.

●Better code quality: Yet another critically important benefit of the CI/CD pipeline is that it helps companies deliver substantially improved levels of quality when it comes to the code. You see, a CI/CD pipeline brings in stringent automated testing of code changes. This includes unit tests, performance tests, and even integration tests. This, in turn, ensures that the code is tested extensively before it even reaches the point of production. As a result, development teams can identify any issues and bugs early in the development process, resulting in not only better code quality but also a reduction in the risk of deploying buggy software.

●Cost reduction: You do not have to be a business genius to know that reducing costs is always on any business' priority list. So, how does the CI/CD pipeline help? Well, it helps reduce the cost of fixing defects in production environments by identifying problems early in the development process. As any developer will tell you, finding and addressing issues during software development is much more cost-effective than fixing the problems after the software has been deployed in the market.

●Reduced manual debugging: One of the USPs of the CI/CD pipeline is that automated tests are executed automatically and consistently on every single code change. This, in turn, alleviates the need for manual testing and debugging, thus freeing up developers' precious time and allowing them to focus on more productive tasks.

●Continuous feedback: It has been well established by now that the CI/CD pipeline runs tests consistently on every instance of code change in the software. Such testing, in turn, provides continuous feedback to developers, thus helping them identify and contend with bugs earlier in the development process. The input also empowers developers to make informed and data-driven decisions about the code.

As you can see, folks, the CI/CD pipeline stands to completely transform software development via enhanced quality, responsiveness, efficiency, and more. So, whether you are looking to build run-of-the-mill software or intricate data engineering solutions, ensuring that the CI/CD pipeline is an integral part of your development approach would do you well.