CI/CD

A list of best practices and methodologies for CI/CD. Learn about basic concepts, benefits, challenges, and implementation methods for each practice.

Pipeline as Code

intermediate

A methodology for managing CI/CD pipelines as code, enabling version control and reviews. Define pipelines in YAML, Groovy, JSON, and manage with Git.

Benefits

  • Version Control
  • Reviewable
  • Reproducibility

Key Principles

  • Management as Code
  • Version Control
  • Review Process

Related Tools

GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, Jenkins, Azure DevOps

A technique that achieves zero-downtime deployment by preparing two identical production environments and switching between them instantly.

Benefits

  • Zero Downtime
  • Instant Rollback
  • Risk Mitigation

Key Principles

  • Two Identical Environments
  • Instant Switch
  • Load Balancer Control

Related Tools

AWS ELB, nginx, HAProxy, Kubernetes

A technique to gradually release new versions to a subset of users for early problem detection. Direct a percentage of traffic to the new version and gradually expand.

Benefits

  • Risk Reduction
  • Gradual Validation
  • Feedback Collection

Key Principles

  • Gradual Rollout
  • Monitoring and Alerting
  • Automatic Rollback

Related Tools

Istio, Flagger, Argo Rollouts, Spinnaker

Feature Toggles

intermediate

A technique that enables runtime toggling of features, separating deployment from release. Control feature activation through configuration.

Benefits

  • Deployment-Release Separation
  • A/B Testing
  • Gradual Feature Rollout

Key Principles

  • Feature Switching
  • Gradual Rollout
  • Flag Management

Related Tools

LaunchDarkly, Split, Unleash, Flagsmith

A methodology using Git repositories as the single source of truth for declarative infrastructure and application management. Automate deployments with pull-based approach.

Benefits

  • Declarative Management
  • Version Control
  • Auditability

Key Principles

  • Git-Centric
  • Declarative Configuration
  • Automatic Synchronization

Related Tools

Argo CD, Flux, Jenkins X, Tekton