What is Continuous Integration (CI)?

Continuous Integration (CI) is a software development practice where developers regularly merge their code changes into a central repository, preferably several times a day. Each merge is then automatically verified by creating a build and running automated tests against it. This approach aims to detect and fix integration errors more quickly, improve software quality, and reduce the time it takes to validate and release new software updates.

Key aspects and benefits of Continuous Integration include:

1. Early Error Detection: By integrating regularly, errors and conflicts can be detected early in the development process, making them easier and less costly to fix.
2. Automated Testing: Automated builds and tests ensure that the software is always in a releasable state, helping to maintain quality.
3. Faster Release Cycle: Frequent integration and automated processes streamline the build and deployment phases, enabling faster releases.
4. Improved Developer Productivity: Automating the integration process and reducing manual testing frees developers to focus on coding and other high-value tasks.
5. Enhanced Transparency: Continuous integration encourages transparency in the development process. Team members can see the latest changes, understand the current state of the project, and easily pinpoint when and where issues were introduced.
6. Better Project Visibility and Predictability: Regular builds and tests provide ongoing insights into the project’s health and progress, allowing for better project management and predictability.

CI is often complemented by Continuous Delivery (CD), where the software that passes all automatic tests can be automatically deployed to a