CIsystemer

CIsystemer are software tools that automate the process of integrating code changes from multiple developers into a shared mainline. They monitor version control repositories for changes and automatically build, test, and validate the code to provide rapid feedback to developers. The goal is to detect integration issues early, improve software quality, and accelerate release cycles.

A typical CI workflow involves triggering pipelines on events such as pushes or pull requests. The pipeline executes a series of stages, including compilation or build, running unit and integration tests, performing code quality checks, and generating artifacts. Some pipelines also include security scans, licensing checks, and deployment steps to staging environments. Artifacts produced by a pipeline can be stored for later use and deployed through continuous deployment or continuous delivery processes.

Key components of CI systems include build runners or agents, pipelines, and jobs or steps. Pipelines are defined in configuration files (often YAML) and describe the sequence of tasks, environments, and dependencies. The systems integrate with source control, provide dashboards and notifications, and manage secrets and access control. They can be hosted by third parties (cloud-based) or self-hosted on private infrastructure.

Types and examples vary: cloud-based services such as GitHub Actions, GitLab CI/CD, CircleCI, and Travis CI offer hosted runners, while self-hosted options include Jenkins, TeamCity, and Bamboo. Organizations choose based on factors like scalability, security, language and framework support, and the degree of customization required.

Overall, CI systems aim to make software integration predictable and repeatable, reducing manual errors and enabling faster, more reliable releases.