Continuous integration (CI) software enables developers to frequently consolidate code changes into a shared repository, triggering automated tests at the time of upload to detect issues early, helping development teams save time, prevent delays, and ensure software features remain functional throughout each sprint or project.
Core Capabilities of Continuous Integration Software
To qualify for inclusion in the Continuous Integration category, a product must:
- Allow developers to consolidate code in a shared code repository
- Perform automated tests against newly written code
- Show a list of tests that have passed and failed
- Perform all necessary actions to create a fully functioning build of the software when all tests have passed
Common Use Cases for Continuous Integration Software
Development and DevOps teams use CI software to maintain code quality and accelerate the delivery of new features. Common use cases include:
- Automatically testing code commits to catch regressions and integration errors early in the development cycle
- Generating reproducible software builds to validate that all components work together correctly
- Providing developers with immediate pass/fail feedback to reduce debugging time and sprint delays
How Continuous Integration Software Differs from Other Tools
CI systems are an early part of the DevOps workflow and often work alongside configuration management software and continuous delivery software to form a complete build-test-deploy pipeline. While CI focuses on automated testing and build validation, continuous delivery and continuous deployment tools extend the pipeline through to staging and production release.
Insights from G2 on Continuous Integration Software
Based on category trends on G2, automated test execution and build pipeline flexibility stand out as standout features. Faster feedback loops and reduced integration issues stand out as primary benefits of CI adoption.