Continuous Integration (CI)

Continuous Integration (CI) is a software development methodology in which code changes from multiple developers are automatically built, tested, and merged into a shared version control repository on a frequent basis—often several times a day. The practice is central to modern agile and DevOps workflows.

CI automates the process of compiling code, running unit tests, and performing static code analysis whenever new changes are committed to the repository. This ensures that integration issues, bugs, or regressions are identified early in the development cycle, before they become costly or complex to resolve.

A typical CI pipeline includes:

• Automated builds
• Unit and integration tests
• Code quality checks (e.g. linting or static analysis)
• Notifications to developers in case of test failures

CI significantly improves developer productivity, supports collaborative coding, and maintains code quality and consistency throughout the project lifecycle. When integrated with Continuous Delivery (CD), it forms the backbone of a fully automated software delivery pipeline.

See also: Continuous Delivery (CD), DevOps