CI (Continuous Integration)
// Definition
The practice of merging every developer's working copy into a shared branch multiple times a day, with automated builds and tests running on each merge. The goal is to detect integration failures when they're small and cheap to fix, rather than at the end of a release cycle. CI is the foundation of modern delivery pipelines — tests that don't run in CI effectively don't exist.
// Related terms
Continuous Integration
The practice of merging code changes to a shared branch frequently, with automated builds and tests running on every change. Catches integration issues early and keeps the main branch always shippable.
Continuous Delivery
Automating the path from commit to a production-ready artifact. Every change is potentially deployable; the actual deploy may require a manual approval gate.
Build
The process of compiling source code and packaging it into a runnable artifact. Also refers to the resulting artifact and a numbered identifier for that specific output.