Continuous Integration (CI) means merging code changes often and automatically running builds and tests. Every commit triggers a pipeline that compiles the code, runs unit tests, and may run linting or security checks.

Key principle: Catch problems early. When CI is healthy, a broken test is treated as an emergency-the team fixes main before adding new work.

Continuous Delivery (CD): Code is always in a deployable state. Automated checks give confidence, but a human presses the deploy button.

Continuous Deployment: One step further-passing the pipeline automatically ships to production. No human approval needed.

Most teams start with continuous delivery for safety, then move to continuous deployment once they trust their pipeline.

A typical CI/CD pipeline has four main stages that run automatically on every code change.

Healthy CI/CD pipelines shape how teams work: small pull requests, trunk‑based development, and frequent deploys reduce risk compared to big‑bang releases.

In cloud environments, pipelines also manage infrastructure changes (IaC). Tools like Terraform, Pulumi, or CloudFormation run inside the same CI/CD system, so app and infra changes ship together in a repeatable way.

Each major cloud provider offers managed CI/CD services. Understanding the options helps you choose the right tools for your team and integrate with cloud-native services.

Many teams choose third-party CI/CD platforms that work across all cloud providers. These tools offer unique advantages and vendor independence.