/kənˈtɪn.ju.əs ˌɪn.tɪˈɡreɪ.ʃən/
noun — "merging code frequently so conflicts become annoying instead of catastrophic."
Continuous Integration (CI) is a software development practice where developers frequently merge their code changes into a shared repository. Each merge triggers automated builds and tests, allowing teams to detect integration issues early and ensure software quality throughout the development lifecycle.
Technically, Continuous Integration involves:
- Automated builds — compiling code after each commit to detect errors quickly.
- Automated testing — running Unit Testing, Integration Testing, and other automated tests to verify functionality.
- Version control — using systems like Git to manage and track code changes collaboratively.
- Feedback mechanisms — notifying developers immediately if builds or tests fail to prompt timely fixes.
Examples of Continuous Integration include:
- Developers committing code daily to a Git repository with automated Jenkins or GitHub Actions pipelines.
- Automatically running regression tests on all new commits to detect bugs early.
- Generating build artifacts and code quality reports after each integration cycle.
Conceptually, Continuous Integration is a safety net for collaboration—it ensures that small issues are caught early, reducing the risk of large, disruptive integration problems down the line.
In practice, Continuous Integration complements Testing, Debugging, and Runtime analysis, supporting modern DevOps workflows and efficient software delivery.
See Unit Testing, Integration Testing, Testing, Debugging, Runtime.