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Mar 08, 2023 devops Twitter GitHub info@caci.co.uk
CI/CD (Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment) pipelines are a modern DevOps practice that automates the process of packaging, testing, and deploying code in small increments. This practice has made software development agile and reliable, and it holds the same promise for networking as more environments transition to the infrastructure-as-code (IaC) mode. In network engineering, CI/CD pipelines help implement network changes quickly and push them into production with speed and accuracy.
CI/CD pipelines are becoming increasingly popular in software development as they help automate the process of building, testing, and deploying code changes. In this blog article, we will explore the benefits of using CI/CD pipelines.
Setting up CI/CD Pipelines
To set up a network CI/CD pipeline, you need to start by creating, verifying, pushing, and committing your configuration change within the local development config. The pipeline should be iterative rather than linear so that DevOps teams can write code, integrate it, run tests, deliver releases and deploy continuously. When selecting CI/CD tools for your network pipeline, focus on how to optimize and automate the software.
A practical approach to building a network CI/CD pipeline is similar to the ones built for customers by Batfish. The demo of this pipeline is available on YouTube while the code is on GitHub. Reading earlier blogs isn’t necessary for reading this one but may be useful if you’re curious about basic concepts behind network validation and CI/CD pipeline structure options.
Benefits of CI/CD
One of the main benefits of using CI/CD pipelines is that they help reduce errors and downtime caused by manual configuration changes. By automating the testing and deployment process, engineers can catch errors early on and fix them before they cause any issues in production. This helps improve the overall quality of software and reduces the risk of costly downtime.
Another benefit of using CI/CD pipelines is that they help improve collaboration between teams. By using a shared repository for code changes, engineers can easily collaborate with each other and ensure that everyone is working on the same version of the code. This helps improve communication and reduces the risk of conflicts or misunderstandings.
CI/CD pipelines also help improve the speed at which changes can be deployed to production. By automating the testing and deployment process, engineers can deploy changes more quickly than if they were doing it manually. This helps organizations stay competitive by allowing them to release new features or updates more quickly.
In addition to these benefits, CI/CD pipelines also help improve security by allowing for automated security testing during the build process. This helps identify vulnerabilities early on and ensures that software is secure before it is deployed to production.
Overall, CI/CD pipelines offer numerous benefits for software development teams including improved quality, collaboration, speed, and security. As such, they have become an essential tool for modern software development practices - and increasing Infrastructure provisioning is following this trend.
What next?
Implementing a CI/CD pipeline in network engineering helps automate build, test and deployment of applications. It bridges the gap between development and operations teams by automating processes that were previously manual. A well-designed CI/CD pipeline can help organizations achieve faster time-to-market with fewer errors while improving overall efficiency.
Why not get in touch and see how we can help your business fully utilise the power of CI/CD and Pipelines to help improve your IT Infrastructure and Networking Automation journey.