What Is Pipeline in DevOps? We explain what’s involved

Helpful Summary

Overview: In this article we dive into the concept of a DevOps pipeline, explaining how it automates key processes to streamline software development.
Why you can trust us: Instatus is relied upon by leading companies like ShockByte and SmartPass for our expertise in creating efficient, reliable systems that help keep everything running smoothly.
Why this is important: Implementing a successful DevOps pipeline reduces errors, speeds up software delivery, and enhances team collaboration. This is a great benefit for any fast-paced development environment.
Action points: Consider setting up a DevOps pipeline to automate your workflow, reduce manual errors, and accelerate your deployment process. Instatus offers tools that can help monitor and manage your pipeline efficiently.
Further research: To expand your understanding, check out our blog for more articles on DevOps best practices, automation strategies, and improving software reliability.

Wondering Whether To Use Pipeline For DevOps?

The business world changes quickly. It’s a fine balance between trying new things and not compromising the service you provide to their customers. As you roll out new software, the dangers become more apparent.

To suit their needs, companies increasingly need to implement a DevOps pipeline to manage the entire development process of new software, from writing code to deploying it on their websites. This is easier said than done, and issues can easily arise.

That’s why in this article, we’ll dive right into explaining what DevOps is and how you can decide if it’s the best solution for your software development needs.

Let’s get to it!

Why Listen to Us?

We’ve had the privilege of working with some of the most respected brands in the industry, including Railway, Siemens, Sketch, and Wistia. Our expertise lies in providing these companies with excellent tools for incident management, website & API monitoring, and status pages. These are all essential parts of the DevOps process.

What is Pipeline in DevOps?

A DevOps pipeline is a series of automated processes and tools used by development and operations teams to efficiently compile, build, test, and deploy software code.

Although the specifics of a DevOps pipeline can vary between organizations, it generally includes elements like build automation, continuous integration, automated testing, validation, and reporting. Even though it focuses on automation, there are often manual checkpoints where someone needs to approve the code before it can move forward.

DevOps has transformed how organizations create and deliver software. It integrates people, processes, and tools at every stage of the software development lifecycle (SDLC) to provide high-quality software solutions more quickly to end users, ultimately delivering greater value.

Key Features of DevOps Pipeline

The DevOps pipeline comprises different components that all play a role in deploying software. Here’s a breakdown of what each component does:

Continuous Integration (CI)

Continuous Integration (CI) involves frequently merging developer code into a shared repository, followed by automated unit tests, builds, and code verification tools. The primary goals of CI are to streamline the code verification process and prevent code conflicts during the release phase.

To accomplish this, the code that was pushed to the shared repository is automatically compiled into an artifact and thoroughly tested. This process, known as a build, immediately alerts developers to any failed tests or assertions. This allows them to promptly address issues in the code.

Continuous Testing (CT)

Continuous Testing (CT) is where DevOps teams run automated tests on the code integrations accumulated during the CI phase. This ensures that the software development process maintains high quality and helps assess the risks of the release before it moves to the delivery stage.

Continuous Delivery (CD)

Continuous Delivery (CD) focuses on packaging code into deployable units that can be seamlessly moved into production. It’s important not to confuse CD with “continuous deployment,” which we’ll talk about shortly.

In a CD environment, a production-like sandbox is used to test and release incremental code updates. Once the code has passed through review and testing, developers can deploy changes to production. This method of releasing small updates helps in troubleshooting and prevents software bottlenecks and merge conflicts. Because the code is tested in the sandbox before being deployed, applications are generally more stable and contain fewer bugs.

Continuous Deployment (CD)

Continuous Deployment (CD) involves the automatic release of code updates to users without the need for manual checks or triggers. Similar to Continuous Delivery, CI pipelines apply automated builds and tests to the code, but in this case, changes are immediately pushed to production. This leads to the quickest possible product release.

However, Continuous Deployment does have its limitations. For instance, it may introduce bugs or vulnerabilities into production if they are missed during automated checks. Therefore, it should be used with caution, typically reserved for minor code changes.

Continuous Feedback

Continuous Feedback, though sometimes overlooked, plays a vital role in DevOps. It ensures that everyone involved, from developers to stakeholders to customers, is aligned with the expectations of the application. Consistent feedback loops help keep the team informed and on track.

Continuous Monitoring

Continuous Monitoring is about validating the stability of the environment and ensuring that applications are functioning as intended. Operations teams monitor the performance of applications and systems, providing constant oversight to maintain smooth and reliable operations. In the event of downtime, you’ll need an Instatus status page to keep everyone updated on the situation.

Continuous Operations

Continuous Operations involve maintaining 24/7 operations with minimal to no planned downtime. The goal here is to ensure that end-users experience no interruptions due to hardware or software changes. While it requires a significant initial investment, the long-term benefits include avoiding costly production losses and ensuring seamless operations.

Benefits of a DevOps Pipeline

Accelerated Software Delivery

A DevOps pipeline accelerates software delivery by automating the SDLC, enabling swift building, testing, and deployment. Key practices like CI/CD ensure rapid, incremental code changes, resulting in faster deployment to end users.

Enhanced Reliability and Software Quality

DevOps pipelines often involve automated testing throughout the SDLC, emphasizing functionality and security, especially in organizations using DevSecOps. This approach ensures software undergoes consistent, rigorous testing before deployment, leading to more reliable and higher-quality outcomes.

Minimized Risk

A DevOps pipeline minimizes risks by using automated testing throughout the SDLC to catch issues early and reduce human error. Practices like CI/CD speed up software delivery while ensuring code quality. This consistent automation helps prevent bugs from reaching production.

Reduction in Manual Efforts

Automation in a DevOps pipeline handles tedious tasks more efficiently than manual efforts, freeing up valuable time for development and deployment. This shift allows organizations to focus resources on building software, enhancing overall productivity.

Shorter Review and Faster Resolution Times

Automated tests in a DevOps pipeline assess code functionality and security at key SDLC stages, reducing code review time. Custom testing suites vary, but the result is faster issue resolution through continuous monitoring and reporting.

What Are The Stages Involved in A DevOps Pipeline?

A DevOps pipeline can be compared to an assembly line where each phase of the SDLC is scrutinized to develop a consistent set of automated and manual processes. This approach enhances both efficiency and uniformity in the final output.

However, unlike a traditional assembly line, DevOps is not a linear process with a clear start and finish. Instead, it operates as a continuous improvement cycle, where enhancements persist even after the software is delivered.

In practice, while a new software feature might follow a straightforward path through various development stages, the overall system—and that particular feature—undergoes continuous iteration.

To grasp this concept, Github breaks down the stages of a DevOps pipeline so how they interconnect and influence each other can easily be understood.

Plan

The planning stage is the foundation of every DevOps pipeline, where new features or fixes are introduced and scheduled. The main objective here is to ensure that all stakeholders involved in the DevOps process collaborate from the outset.

Here is a good outline of what the planning stage should look like:

Understand user needs
Design a solution
Assess the implications of your changes

Then, you’ll be ready to integrate these changes into your current system!

Code

The coding stage is where code development begins based on the plan. At this stage, organizations:

Ensure that code is consistently styled across teams
Use static analysis tools and regularly update dependencies to manage security risks
Adopt cloud-hosted IDEs to quicken the setup process and facilitate collaboration across distributed teams.

Build

The build stage is where the DevOps pipeline truly begins to take shape. Here's how it unfolds:

Code Commit: The process starts when a developer commits their code changes to a shared repository. This is the initial step that signals the beginning of the build stage.
Pull Request Submission: After committing the code, the developer submits a pull request to merge their changes with the main codebase. This request prompts another team member to review the code.
Code Review: A team member is assigned to review the submitted code. They carefully check the changes for quality, consistency, and potential issues before approving the merge.
Automated Build Process: Once the pull request is approved, an automated build process is triggered. This process integrates the codebase and initiates a series of integration and unit tests to verify that everything works as expected.
Test and Build Validation: If any tests or the build process itself fails, the pull request is rejected. The developer receives an alert detailing the issue, allowing them to address the problem quickly.

Test

Once a build is approved, it enters the testing stage, where it is deployed to an environment that closely mimics the production environment. Some organizations may use infrastructure-as-code (IaC) to automate the setup of a staging environment, while others may have dedicated, pre-built testing environments ready for any new build. The choice depends largely on the organization's needs and available computing resources.

The testing phase begins once the build is ready and involves several key activities:

Automated Testing: The build is subjected to automated security tests such as Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) and Interactive Application Security Testing (IAST) to identify potential vulnerabilities.
Manual Testing: Team members perform User Acceptance Testing (UAT) to interact with the application, noting any issues that end-users might face.
Issue Identification: Both automated and manual tests help in uncovering and documenting issues that need to be addressed before the build proceeds.

Release

The release stage signifies that a new build has been thoroughly tested and is ready for deployment. At this point, organizations are confident that the code is not only functional but also operationally sound, and capable of running smoothly in a production environment without unexpected issues.

Large organizations like Google, Amazon, and Netflix, might choose to automate the deployment process at this stage, a practice known as continuous deployment, which allows for multiple code changes to be released daily. Others may opt for a manual release process, including a final approval step, or schedule automated releases at specific times.

CI/CD platforms and other DevOps tools allow organizations to establish a release cadence that works best for them, incorporating automation throughout the release stage.

Deploy

After a build is released, it is prepared for deployment into the production environment, where various automation tools come into play.

The deployment process involves using tools to automate tasks, such as provisioning new production environments through Infrastructure as Code (IaC). Another common strategy is the blue-green deployment, which ensures safe updates by gradually introducing code changes to a new environment while maintaining the old codebase for existing users.

This approach allows for seamless rollbacks to the previous build if any issues are detected, minimizing downtime and ensuring a smooth transition.

Operate

Deployment is not the end of the DevOps pipeline—it signals the beginning of the operational phase, where organizations must ensure that everything runs smoothly. This stage involves infrastructure orchestration and configuration management, which automatically scale resources to meet real-time demand.

It also includes mechanisms to capture user activity within the application, such as behavioral logging and customer feedback collection. To keep your users informed about any issues associated with deployments, consider leveraging services like Instatus.

At Instatus, we handle all the monitoring, providing beautiful and informative status pages that keep your users updated. The primary goal of the operations stage is to maintain the smooth operation of the application and its underlying infrastructure while continually seeking ways to enhance its operational performance.

Monitor

Building on the operational stage, the monitoring phase involves setting up automated tools to detect performance bottlenecks, application issues, and user behavior. This stage requires implementing tools to gather data on application and infrastructure performance and then passing actionable insights back to the product teams for resolving issues or developing new features.

Although this is considered the 'final' stage of a DevOps pipeline, you must understand that this is a continuous process. Monitoring tools help organizations identify areas for further planning and iteration, feeding back into the DevOps pipeline.

Conclusion

A well-structured DevOps pipeline allows organizations to streamline their software development processes, ensuring consistent quality and continuous improvement. By meticulously planning, coding, building, testing, releasing, deploying, operating, and monitoring, teams can deliver amazing software solutions that meet user needs and adapt to changing demands.

However, the success of a DevOps pipeline also hinges on proper communication and transparency, both within the team and with customers. That’s where Instatus comes into play. At Instatus we offer a user-friendly platform that allows you to quickly set up professional status pages, keeping your customers informed and happy.

By building trust with your team and providing a reliable service, we help you scale your business efficiently and confidently. Whether you’re handling a minor update or a critical issue, we’ll ensure your customers stay in the loop, strengthening your overall DevOps strategy.