CICD PIPELINE BEST

PRACTICES

CI/CD Pipeline Best

Practices
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Preface 1
Introduction 1
Foundation of a Robust CI/CD Pipeline 1
Version Control Integration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Automated Testing Strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Build Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Streamlining CI/CD Workflow 2
Parallelization and Concurrent Builds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Continuous Integration Best Practices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Ensuring Code Quality in the CI/CD Pipeline 3
Code Quality Checks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Incorporating Security Scans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Deployment of Best Practices in CI/CD 3
Blue-Green Deployment Strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Environment Configuration Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Monitoring and Feedback Loops 4
Real-time Monitoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Continuous Feedback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
CI/CD Pipeline Scalability 5
Handling Increased Workloads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Case Studies and Real-world Examples 5
Build and Test Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Deployment Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Code Repository . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Canary Testing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Monitoring and alerting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Branching model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Conclusion 6
Resources 6

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 CICD PIPELINE BEST
1 PRACTICES

PREFACE
PREFACE FOUNDATION
FOUNDATIONOF
OFAAROBUST
ROBUSTCI/CD
CI/CD
PIPELINE
Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment
(CI/CD) pipelines have revolutionized software CI/CD pipeline automates the software’s building,
development by automating the process of building, testing, and deployment after it passes the code
testing, and deploying applications. These pipelines commits in test suites. To ensure efficiency in the
enable teams to deliver software faster, more process, building a solid pipeline is inevitable. Here
reliably, and with higher quality. However, building are a few critical best practices to create a robust
effective CI/CD pipelines requires careful planning, CI/CD foundation.
adherence to best practices, and continual
refinement.
VERSION CONTROL INTEGRATION
In this cheatsheet, we’ll explore essential best
practices for designing, implementing, and Git workflows and branching strategies
maintaining CI/CD pipelines. From version control
Defining Git workflows and branching strategies for
integration to automated testing strategies and
the different stages of software development
deployment techniques, these practices aim to
streamlines the version control integration process
streamline development workflows, minimize
and helps maintain code quality. The right
errors, and accelerate time-to-market for software
branching strategies, code reviews, and pull
projects.
requests reduce conflicts and make it easier to roll
back to previous versions.
Whether you’re new to CI/CD or looking to optimize
your existing pipelines, this cheatsheet will serve as
a valuable reference for building robust, efficient, Commit hygiene and semantic versioning
and scalable CI/CD processes.
Frequent and early commits (atomic commits)
allow developers to get rapid feedback based on
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION which code changes can be made. Commit hygiene,
especially in large projects with huge teams, is
The continuous integration/continuous deployment
essential. There are several best practices to
(CI/CD) pipeline consists of automated steps that
maintain commit hygiene, such as:
help deliver new software versions more efficiently
via automation. Simply put, CI/CD automation • Keeping the commits focused on one primary
improves software delivery and enables change affecting the codebase
organizations to build high-quality codes faster and
more securely. • Following established patterns in a codebase
and maintaining commit consistency
While CI simplifies integrating source code and • Crafting detailed commit messages, etc.
software development, enables version control, and
promotes seamless collaboration
through Further, semantic versioning is also one of the best
automation, CD helps with automated testing and CI/CD practices as it helps developers understand
deployment. CD reduces the time to deliver and the impact of code changes. Automatic semantic
deploy the software and decreases the number of versioning significantly helps with rapid software
tools used to manage the application lifecycle. deployment and reduces the risk of human error.

Adopting CI/CD pipeline best practices ensures

AUTOMATED TESTING STRATEGIES
increased productivity and efficiency, reduced risks
of application defects, practical testing and
monitoring, and faster code changes. Unit, integration, and end-to-end testing

In CI/CD, thorough testing of all code units is

This cheatsheet discusses the best practices for
essential. The best-automated testing practice is
CI/CD pipelines in detail.
performing unit, integration, and end-to-end tests.

• While unit testing is the fastest testing form, it

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 CICD PIPELINE BEST
2 PRACTICES

lets developers verify if the units of code are need to install the same dependencies during the
operating as required. build stage, storing the data helps in quick retrieval.
Thus, caching dependencies reduce build times,
• Integration testing verifies the behavior of
improving efficiency.
multiple software parts within the program. In
short, it verifies the workings of integrated
STREAMLININGCI/CD
STREAMLINING CI/CDWORKFLOW
WORKFLOW
units.

• Lastly, perform end-to-end testing to ensure the Setting up continuous integration requires
system meets the functions as intended. strategies that can streamline the integration
workflows. Here’s what organizations can do to
streamline CI/CD operations.

PARALLELIZATION AND CONCURRENT

BUILDS

Maximizing efficiency through parallel

execution
Figure 1. Automated Testing Strategies
Running tasks simultaneously can maximize
process efficiency. With concurrency, teams can
Test coverage and regression testing complete seven tasks (each taking 1 minute to
complete) in 1 minute instead of 7 minutes. The
Another CI/CD best practice is to measure how
tasks can still be done simultaneously if the
much of the code has been covered by automated
parallelism is set to 3. With parallelism, the team
testing. Test coverage ensures that the tests
can run three copies of each of the seven tasks to be
performed are comprehensive and the tested codes
completed in a minute, meaning 21 tasks can be
are well-protected against potential risks.
finished within a minute.

Regression testing is another CI/CD practice that

involves retesting the already tested codes to Strategies for managing dependencies and
ensure that the changes made do not trigger new ensuring consistency
defects in the system. Regression testing maintains
A solid versioning strategy can ensure effective
codebase integrity and prevents the re-emerging of
management of dependencies and consistency.
already-resolved issues.
Versioning schemes like semantic and lock files,
which record the exact dependency versions during
BUILD AUTOMATION development, ensure consistent builds across
various environments.
Build tools and configurations
Further, developers can use Infrastructure as Code
Building development, testing, and deployment (IaC) scripts to set up development environments,
automation requires the right CI/CD tools. Popular mirroring production faster. This strategy also
CI/CD tools include Jenkins, Travis CI, GitLab, Circle ensures consistency across different development
CI, etc. These tools can be configured to automate stages and reduces issues related to the production
processes and ensure consistency across different environments.
environments.

CONTINUOUS INTEGRATION BEST

Artifact management and dependency
PRACTICES
caching

While version control systems manage Frequent and small commits

dependencies and artifacts, like compiled code,
Regular and atomic commits help produce better-
build logs, and test outcomes, the CI/CD pipeline
quality software. Each commit triggers a set of
also needs dependency caching. Since developers

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 CICD PIPELINE BEST
3 PRACTICES

automated tests to offer quick feedback on the CODE QUALITY CHECKS

change made to the codebase. Committing regularly
ensures teams stay aligned, promotes effective Static code analysis
collaboration, and reduces conflicts in integrating
complex changes. Tools like Veracode, DeepSource, and Codacy use
static code analysis to check the code quality
without executing it. These tools can efficiently
identify bugs, vulnerabilities, and errors before
they significantly impact a broader scale. Static
code analysis tools can ensure that codes meet the
defined standards before deployment to
production.

Code review automation

Developers can automate specific aspects of code

review, like feedback on code complexity,
performance, and maintainability, to reduce
manual work. Automation in code review can save
time while helping developers optimize code and
focus on more critical tasks simultaneously.

INCORPORATING SECURITY SCANS

Integrating security checks into the CI/CD

Figure 2. Commit Early And Often pipeline

Automated security checks, like dynamic scans,

Integration testing as a gatekeeper running static analytics tools, or penetration tests,
within the CI/CD pipeline quickly detect system
Integration testing involves the gradual integration
vulnerabilities. Developers can reduce the risk of
of software components and tests performed to see
exposing system data to malicious cyber-attacks.
how these components work as a unified group. In
Moreover, automated security checks in CI/CD best
an agile environment, performing integration
practices can accelerate feedback and problem-
testing before unit testing ensures rapid fixing of
solving, ensure security compliance, enhance
the more significant issues, unlike in the waterfall
collaboration, and reduce costs.
development model.

Moreover, since integration testing analyzes the Automated vulnerability assessments

workings of different software components, it can
These assessments spot the potential issues in the
help make informed decisions regarding
codebase. Tools like Checkmarx and SonarQube can
production.
help with dependency analysis, vulnerability
detection, and security scanning for different
ENSURINGCODE
ENSURING CODEQUALITY
QUALITYIN
INTHE
THE
frameworks. Hence, developers can identify
CI/CD
CI/CD PIPELINE
PIPELINE potential issues faster and remediate them
immediately.
Technical debt wastes 23-42% of the developers'
time, which is a risk for businesses. Here are the DEPLOYMENTOF
OFBEST
BESTPRACTICES
PRACTICESIN
best practices to ensure perfect code with fast
DEPLOYMENT
IN CI/CD
CI/CD
delivery.

Seamless software deployment demands

implementing strategies that ensure efficient and

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 CICD PIPELINE BEST
4 PRACTICES

rapid deployment and minimum risk. chances of outcome inconsistency.

BLUE-GREEN DEPLOYMENT STRATEGIES Managing configuration drift and

environment consistency
Minimizing downtime and risk during
Configuration drift happens when the environment
deployment
configuration changes over time, resulting in
Blue-Green deployment is about deploying a new potential issues and inconsistency. One way to
code in a separate environment (the "blue" manage configuration drift is to track environment
environment) while the current environment (the changes and ensure they align with the desired
"green" environment) is still operational. state. Configuration management tools like Ansible
Implementing this strategy, developers can and Puppet can help developers manage
gradually shift the traffic green configuration drifts. With these tools, developers
from the
environment to the blue once the blue environment can ensure a consistent environment free from
has been thoroughly tested and validated. This drifts, minimize the risk of errors, and improve
blue-green strategy reduces downtime and risks as system stability.
the new environment is thoroughly tested before
going live. MONITORINGAND
MONITORING ANDFEEDBACK
FEEDBACKLOOPS

Rollback mechanisms and version control in It is essential to measure the effectiveness of CI/CD
deployment pipelines. Developers can track CI/CD process
performance and improve using monitoring tools
In application deployment, a robust version control and feedback systems.
system like Git is crucial. Implementing rollback
mechanisms in deployment helps developers REAL-TIME MONITORING
quickly access the previous stable version if there
are issues in the new environment. Tools like Git
Implementing monitoring tools in the CI/CD
help developers monitor changes in the codebase
pipeline
and roll back to earlier versions if needed.
Monitoring tools provide real-time visibility into
ENVIRONMENT CONFIGURATION the CI/CD pipeline and help with root cause analysis
MANAGEMENT and faster troubleshooting. Observability and
monitoring tools like Grafana, Middleware, or
Datadog can help developers get end-to-end
Infrastructure as Code (IaC) principles
visibility of the entire application infrastructure
IaC automates IT resource provision and and processes. They can identify bottlenecks,
management through code. Through IaC, DevOps performance issues, and pipeline defects in real
teams can maintain flexibility and consistency in time and get them resolved quickly.
environments.
Proactive issue identification and resolution
• IaC principles include immutable
infrastructure, where one infrastructure is As mentioned above, monitoring and observability
replaced with a new one created from a tools enable proactive identification of potential
familiar image, with required changes to the issues, and developers can take corrective
latest version. measures before they impact users significantly.
Automated alerts and notifications help inform
• Another IaC principle that helps with
developers of system issues, helping them resolve
environment configuration management is
the problems as they occur without any delay.
idempotency. This principle means regardless
of how many times developers run IaC and
their starting state, they will end up with the CONTINUOUS FEEDBACK
same end state. This IaC principle simplifies
infrastructure provisioning and reduces the

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 CICD PIPELINE BEST
5 PRACTICES

Utilizing feedback for process improvement infrastructure tools.

Continuous feedback is essential in improving the

Strategies for managing larger codebases and
CI/CD pipeline. It helps identify pipeline
teams
inefficiencies or quality issues and make amends to
improve overall quality. DevOps teams should seek Larger codebases and teams require specific
and act on feedback to refine the pipeline strategies for managing complexities and reducing
processes, workflows, and tools to ensure effective risks.
and more efficient software delivery. Incorporating
feedback systems into the development process and • Implementing code review processes like pull
actively working on them can enhance software requests can help ensure that code changes are
quality and user satisfaction immensely. reviewed and evaluated thoroughly before
merging them into the primary branch.
Metrics and Key Performance Indicators • Version control systems, like Git, can help
(KPIs) for evaluating CI/CD success manage codebase changes and ensure the code
is up-to-date.
Another important continuous feedback best
practice in CI/CD is establishing metrics and KPIs to • Another
LOOPS strategy that teams can implement is
assess how well the CI/CD pipeline is performing. using collaboration tools like Slack to help
teams communicate and coordinate tasks
Metrics such as build success rate, deployment seamlessly.
frequency, lead time, and mean time to recovery
provide insights into the reliability and efficiency of These strategies ensure that the complexities of
the pipeline. Additionally, KPIs should enable growing teams and codebases are handled
developers to measure the impact of the CI/CD efficiently while ensuring enhanced pipeline
pipeline on the business’s overall software delivery performance.
performance and help spot areas for improvement.
CASESTUDIES
CASE STUDIESAND
ANDREAL-WORLD
REAL-WORLD
CI/CDPIPELINE
CI/CD PIPELINESCALABILITY
SCALABILITY EXAMPLES
EXAMPLES
The next step after successfully building a CI/CD Considering case studies highlighting the successful
pipeline is to scale. The pipeline must be capable of CI/CD pipeline implementation, one famous real-
accommodating the growing needs of a business. world example is Netflix.

HANDLING INCREASED WORKLOADS Netflix’s CI/CD pipeline is the backbone of its tech
stack. The process is highly automated and involves
moving code changes rapidly and reliably from
Scalable infrastructure considerations
development to production.
Considering the scalability of the infrastructure
supporting the CI/CD pipeline is vital to ensure it Here are the critical components of Netflix’s CI/CD
handles increased workload well. pipeline.

• Cloud-based infrastructures like

Microsoft BUILD AND TEST AUTOMATION
Azure or Amazon Web Services (AWS) are
scalable and can be provisioned and de- Spinnaker is an open-source CD platform that
provisioned as necessary. automates Netflix’s build and test processes. It
easily integrates with other tools of the streaming
• Further, orchestration and containerization
platform’s tech stack, like Jenkins, to enable
tools like Docker or Kubernetes can help scale
automated testing and deployment.
infrastructures to manage increasing resources
efficiently.
DEPLOYMENT AUTOMATION
DevOps teams can ensure consistent and reliable
application performance with scalable Netflix uses a combination of AWS and Spinnaker to

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 CICD PIPELINE BEST
6 PRACTICES

deploy code changes to production. While enable the streaming platform to launch new
Spinnaker handles the orchestration of the features quickly, minimize risks, and maintain user
deployment process, AWS gives the infrastructure satisfaction.
for running the application. This ensures reliability
and speed in deployment. CONCLUSION
CONCLUSION

CODE REPOSITORY As discussed, several CI/CD pipeline best practices

exist for each pipeline stage — from development
Netflix’s codebase is centrally stored in GitHub.to deployment, monitoring, and feedback. These
Developers work on feature branches, and changes best practices are crucial to building a robust CI/CD
are reviewed through pull requests to ensure the pipeline and its successful performance over time.
codes are thoroughly reviewed before merging
them into the codebase. Along with the implementation of the CI/CD
pipeline, best practices like committing early and
often, integration testing, version control systems,
CANARY TESTING
continuous feedback, real-time monitoring, etc., it is
Netflix has a canary testing system evaluates new also critical to choose the right tools to carry out the
changes and features in a production-like operations.
environment before rolling them out to users.
Canary testing allows rolling out changes to fewer Adapting each of these best practices will not only
users and monitoring them to identify issues. This ensure a successful CI/CD pipeline but will also
ensures minimizing the impact of the problems of a improve the software development processes. Thus,
more extensive user base. the CI/CD best practices will directly impact
software delivery quality and business ROI.

MONITORING AND ALERTING

RESOURCES
RESOURCES
Netflix uses tools like Spectator and Atlas to
monitor infrastructure and applications in real- • CI/CD Pipeline
time. The monitoring tools provide accurate ◦ Website: CI/CD Pipeline practical guide
insights and alert teams as issues arise in the
system. It helps Netflix address these defects, ◦ A comprehensive guide that covers the
ensuring maximum user satisfaction quickly. basics and advanced concepts of CI/CD
Pipeline

BRANCHING MODEL • CI/CD Best Practices

◦ Website: CI/CD best practices for your

Developers can create branches for each feature in
DevOps team’s success
Netflix’s feature branch workflow. Following
review and approval, these branches are merged ◦ A list of the Top 8 CI/CD best practices for
into the main branch. The code changes review your DevOps team’s success
policies in Netflix ensure that they are adequately
• Learning CI/CD Tools
reviewed and tested. For instance, Netflix has a
policy: "All pull requests must pass automated tests ◦ Website: Learning CI/CD Tools
before they can be merged into the main codebase." ◦ Best Practices for Application and IaC
Further, pull requests undergo approvals from
several developers before they get merged. • The CI/CD Pipelines Best Practices Guide by
Jenkins
Further, Netflix uses the trunk-based development ◦ Website: Pipeline Best Practices
approach, frequently merging changes to the main
codebase. This enables quick integration of new ◦ Jenkins, one of the most popular CI/CD
features and changes while ensuring codebase automation tools, offers a guide outlining
reliability and stability. best practices for setting up and managing
CI/CD pipelines.
All in all, Netflix’s CI/CD pipeline is designed to

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 CICD PIPELINE BEST
7 PRACTICES

• The Twelve-Factor App

◦ Website: The Twelve-Factor App

◦ Although not specifically about CI/CD, this

methodology outlines principles for
building modern, scalable web
applications, many of which align closely
with CI/CD practices.

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