What is Continuous Delivery in DevOps

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The software has become one of the most crucial business-driving factors globally. With consumers opting for better value and convenience, customized software development has become a norm. That is why most modern businesses opt for practices like DevOps to conduct efficient software development cycles.

However, since DevOps comprises multiple facets, businesses must thoroughly comprehend its effective integration. Continuous delivery is one such factor that significantly impacts a business’ software development cycle.

A prevalent software development practice speeds the code release using automation. The practice establishes a procedure that allows developers to enter the code repository via automation. However, despite such perks on offer, several enterprises still do not comprehend the concept of continuous delivery in DevOps.

If you are one of them, the article will help you gain a fundamental understanding of the concept and its use. On that note, here are everything businesses should know about DevOps continuous delivery.

What is Continuous Delivery in DevOps?

Continuous delivery is a perpetual DevOps practice of developing, testing, and releasing modifications to user environments and software code via automated tools. Continuous delivery and DevOps are closely related as CD is an integral sub-part of DevOps.

The practice follows a unified process called CD or continuous delivery pipeline. The process initiates with developers committing the code to the source repository. CD requires automated and manual testing to ensure the code’s quality throughout the process.

After verifying the code, the developers deploy the executables to the environment, like UAT, integration, or staging. The core purpose behind continuous delivery is to develop, test, and deploy quick releases to customers in short cycles.

It enhances the code’s reliability while decreasing any risk of faulty releases. CD has quickly garnered global acceptance due to its support for completely automated cycles. However, CD optimal delivery can only be ensured via successfully implementing three practices - test-driven development, configuration management, and continuous integration.

Continuous integration keeps the code integrated into a shared repository, eliminating any chances of conflicts caused by bulky code commits. On the other hand, configuration management helps developers simplify the product. It allows the product to be scalable, lightweight, and flexible.

Finally, test-driven deployment keeps the entire continuous delivery in place. The practice makes sure that the code remains testable and deployable within minutes. The practice has boosted the use-cases of DevOps continuous delivery through the roof.

Benefits of Continuous Delivery in DevOps

The article has already touched the surface of continuous delivery’s benefits, but it is a detailed overview.

Low-Risk Deployment

As already mentioned, continuous delivery uses test-driven deployment practices. It serves the primary purposes of continuous delivery and DevOps – maintaining low risk during prompt deployment cycles.

Since the practice is relatively simplistic, developers can quickly achieve zero-downtime implementations. Several candidates even go through a DevOps training course to learn the techniques and application of test-driven deployments.

Quick Marketing

Faster deployment equals quicker product market launch – as simple as that. Traditional software delivery cycles take weeks or months at times. This is especially true since development teams operate manually throughout testing, provisioning, building, and deployment.

However, continuous delivery allows developers to add regression and synthesis testing into their routine job. It removes the unnecessary phases, eliminating the amount of repetitive work that plagues the development process.

Reduced Costs

Any process integrating automation is viable to gain two benefits – promptness and reduced costs. In today’s growing industry, any surviving product is bound to grow in scale and volume. Under such circumstances, businesses must follow continuous delivery and DevOps to bring down their costs.

It allows them to make and deliver incremental modifications while decreasing several charges associated with the deployment process.

Improved Quality

One major reason why many candidates opt for a DevOps certificate is to get adept with automated tools. Such tools render great use-cases when it comes to product development and deployment. As mentioned already, CD requires intensive automation testing, which requires heavy knowledge of deployment practices.

By gaining ample knowledge regarding the concept, any developer can maintain top-notch product and service quality. Modern institutes even offer a DevOps online course to help candidates gain useful insights remotely.

Healthier Work Environment

A workspace where every employee is overworked and burdened with responsibilities cannot fetch optimal results. Continuous delivery releases such tension by making the deliveries comfortable, keeping the team energized.

Moreover, as CD involves members participating in more frequent deployment cycles, their skills and knowledge of the process improve. It also facilitates an environment where the team can implement new ideas. It creates opportunities for innovation while ensuring the users stay satisfied.

One popular way to practice such strategies is via DevOps training, preferred by numerous candidates nowadays.

How Is It Different from Continuous Deployment and Integration?

CD vs CI is as popular of a query as what is continuous delivery in DevOps. The subtle difference confuses numerous candidates, so here is a quick comparison between them.

Continuous Integration

Continuous Integration or CI is the initial step that lays down the business framework. It refers to integrating individual codes with the overall development-deployment environment after building and testing.

Continuous Delivery

The next step is continuous delivery or CD that sits atop the CI phase. It can only work if CI is already established and requires in-depth UI, performance, and regression tests to check the code’s viability. Given its importance, candidates opt for DevOps certification training to understand the concept thoroughly.

Continuous Deployment

The phase takes the entire setup one step further by deploying codes to a product after every code commit. After CD, the deployment adopts an on-demand model and can only work with specialized DevOps teams.

In Conclusion

Continuous delivery in DevOps helps businesses limit human intervention and facilitate an automated working environment. The practice has gained steam in the past decade as more businesses opt for automation.

Despite its prevalent usage and popularity, the practice is still a question mark for many. That is why the article has shed some light on the concept. Go through it to understand what is continuous delivery in DevOps and what are its benefits.

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