In recent years, DevOps has seen a meteoric rise in popularity as a growing number of IT decision-makers all over the world have become aware of the numerous advantages offered by this methodology. DevOps is making waves in the world of software development thanks to the power of automation and the assistance of communication between different departments. However, there are not a lot of IT executives that are familiar with the specifics of what a DevOps pipeline entails. It’s possible that this is the case due to the fact that the various concepts involved in a DevOps pipeline are frequently not properly defined.
This article is a resource that makes an attempt to break down the various parts that comprise a DevOps. Let us try to understand the various terminologies commonly found.
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Continuous integration
It is the practice of adding as many new lines of code to a central repository as possible on an ongoing basis. These new lines of code are typically only a few lines long and are produced by different developers. Because of this, it is possible to undertake automatic testing of the code without having to wait for other members of the team to contribute their own part.
Continuous integration removes the need for this waiting period, which in turn removes the possibility of integration conflicts and, as a result, the deployment of faulty code.
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Continuous Delivery (CD)
Provides incentives for software developers to roll out code to production in stages. Any modification that is made to an application is immediately checked for errors and then uploaded to a repository. The operations team can then use this information to deploy the modification to production from the repository.
When compared to the alternative method of releasing code, which involves attempting to debug all of the changes at once, this method makes troubleshooting significantly simpler.
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Continuous deployment
Comparable to continuous delivery, but distinguished by the emphasis placed on automation throughout the process. With continuous deployment, code updates are automatically pushed to end-users in live production from the repository. This process does not require any interaction from a human.
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Ongoing inspections and tests
The concept of continuous testing (CT) refers to the practice of performing automated tests at each step of development as frequently as possible. Before the code is released to the public, this helps teams to identify problems and assess any potential dangers that may be involved.
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Continuous Monitoring
Allows for the highest possible availability of applications and environments. Because of this strategy, problems with availability and downtime throughout the release process are avoided, and consumers do not experience any inconvenience as a result of the continuous delivery of code updates, bug fixes, and patches.
DevOps teams are able to observe and detect security threats and compliance concerns during each phase of the development lifecycle thanks to continuous monitoring, which is also frequently referred to as continuous control. In addition to this, the services team in the production environment makes use of it to ensure that apps are operating appropriately and are carrying out the tasks that have been assigned to them.
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Ongoing and consistent feedback
A vital part of the DevOps pipeline entails analyzing the impact that releases have on the quality of the user experience and relaying those findings to the group whose responsibility it is to enhance the quality of future releases.
Although DevOps teams frequently add or remove various phases of the pipeline as a function of individual workflows, the four phases that are included in virtually every pipeline are developed, build, test, and deploy, with many pipelines additionally incorporating plan and monitor.
- Plan
Before anyone begins coding, for the purpose of arranging the entire workflow. This comprises the creation of the development roadmap that will direct the team through the process, the collection of feedback, and the breaking down of the workflow into particular tasks that are carried out in sprints, which are normally carried out once every two weeks.
- Develop
The coding process, which should adhere to the standards that were established beforehand to ensure consistency, will now begin at this point. This makes it simpler for other members of the team to comprehend the code that their colleagues have written.
- Build
An essential step since it gives developers the ability to identify problems and ensures that only bug-free code is passed on to subsequent stages. During this part of the process, the team will perform automated tests; if an issue is found with the code, the build will fail, and the responsible developer will be notified.
- Test
Executes both manual and automated tests in order to further validate the code’s integrity. This step is only performed once the build has been successfully completed.
- Deploy
The code is now at the point where it can be deployed to production. If there were just minor modifications made to the code that is about to be deployed, then the procedure can be considered automated. If, on the other hand, a significant modification has been made, the code will first be deployed to an environment that simulates production in order to observe how the code behaves before it is made public.
- Monitor
The DevOps pipeline has reached its last stage, which requires teams to ensure that the infrastructure, systems, and apps are all functioning normally.
The Five Main Components That Make Up The DevOps Pipeline
Now that we are familiar with the many stages and components that make up the DevOps pipeline, it is necessary for us to have an understanding of the primary tools and services required for efficient execution.
- The continuous integration and continuous delivery environment, inside which the source code will be stored. GitLab and BitBucket are two worthy alternatives to the most popular repository, which is GitHub. In addition, the open-source, Java-based Jenkins continuous integration and the continuous delivery solution comes highly recommended. Jenkins is widely acknowledged as the industry standard.
- When connected with a solution for continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD), source control management enables developers to share code modifications without triggering merge conflicts. Git is the version control system that is generally accepted as the industry standard. Other open source solutions are Subversion, Vesta, and Mercurial.
- Build server and automation tool: Jenkins and Travis-CI are currently the most common options available. Jenkins is a hosted solution that does not cost anything to use and is open-source, whereas Travis-CI is also a hosted solution that does not cost anything to use and is also free, but only for open-source projects.
- Tests that are automated make it possible for teams to reuse tests within a process that can be repeated and reduce time-consuming chores that are repetitive. Ranorex, SoapUI, and Katalon Studio are some of the testing tools that are included on the list of contenders for the title of “best.”
- The programming logic contained within deployable packages can be identified with the assistance of a web application server for deployment. In addition to this, it provides web services and renders the UI. Tomcat, Jetty, and WildFly are just a few of the open-source web application servers that are now accessible.
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