Continuous Integration Glossary: Key Terms Explained

Welcome to our Continuous Integration Glossary! This guide is designed for English learners and aspiring software developers. We'll explore essential CI/CD vocabulary to help you understand software development jargon better. Mastering these terms is crucial for navigating the tech world, and this post offers useful vocabulary tips for your learning journey in understanding these technical English vocabulary items. This post aims to teach key English vocabulary specific to Software Development.

Image: English for Software Development

Table of Contents

What is Continuous Integration Glossary?

This Continuous Integration Glossary breaks down key terms used in modern software development, specifically focusing on CI/CD practices. Understanding these concepts, which are integral to DevOps terms and the software lifecycle terms, is fundamental for anyone involved in building and deploying software efficiently. Let's dive into the core vocabulary that forms the backbone of build automation language and version control basics.

VocabularyPart of SpeechSimple DefinitionExample Sentence(s)
Continuous Integration (CI)Noun PhraseA software development practice where developers regularly merge their code changes into a central repository, after which automated builds and tests are run.The team adopted Continuous Integration to catch bugs earlier and improve collaboration.
Continuous Delivery (CD)Noun PhraseAn extension of CI where code changes are automatically built, tested, and prepared for a release to production.With Continuous Delivery, we can release updates to users more frequently and reliably.
Continuous Deployment (CD)Noun PhraseA further extension where every change that passes all stages of the production pipeline is released to customers automatically.Their Continuous Deployment pipeline ensures that new features reach users immediately after passing tests.
Repository (Repo)NounA central location where code is stored and managed, often using version control systems like Git.Developers commit their code to the repository daily to keep track of changes.
Version Control System (VCS)Noun PhraseSoftware that tracks and manages changes to files over time, allowing multiple people to collaborate on a project.Git is a popular Version Control System used in many CI/CD pipelines.
Build AutomationNoun PhraseThe process of scripting or automating the tasks involved in creating a deployable software artifact from source code.Build automation tools like Jenkins or GitLab CI compile code and run initial checks without manual intervention.
PipelineNounIn CI/CD, a set of automated processes that take code from version control all the way through to delivery to users.The CI/CD pipeline includes stages for building, testing, and deploying the application.
CommitVerb/Noun(v) To save changes to the local repository; (n) A saved change or set of changes in a version control system.She made a commit with the latest bug fixes before pushing to the remote server.
BranchNounA parallel version of a repository, allowing developers to work on different features or fixes independently before merging them.He created a new branch to work on the user authentication feature without affecting the main codebase.
MergeVerbTo combine changes from different branches in a version control system into a single branch.After testing, the feature branch was merged into the main development line.
Automated TestingNoun PhraseThe practice of using software tools to run tests on an application automatically, rather than manually. This includes automated testing vocabulary.Automated testing is crucial for ensuring code quality and stability in a CI environment.
Unit TestNounA test that verifies the functionality of a small, isolated piece of code, like a function or method.Every new function must have a corresponding unit test to ensure it works as expected.
Integration TestNounA test that verifies the interaction between different components or modules of an application.Integration tests ensure that different parts of the system, like the database and API, work together correctly.
ArtifactNounA file or set of files generated during the build process, such as a compiled executable or a compressed archive, ready for deployment.The build process produces a deployable artifact, which is then stored for later deployment.
DeploymentNounThe process of making a software application available for use in a specific environment, such as testing, staging, or production.The deployment to the production server is scheduled for tonight after all tests pass.

More: End-to-End Testing Glossary: Key Terms and Definitions

Common Phrases Used

Beyond individual terms within the Continuous Integration Glossary, certain phrases are commonly used when discussing Continuous Integration. Knowing these code deployment phrases will help you understand and participate in technical conversations more effectively, which is a key skill for English for software engineers. Here are some key expressions related to the CI/CD vocabulary.

PhraseUsage ExplanationExample Sentence(s)
"Push to master/main"Refers to merging code directly into the primary branch (master or main) of the repository. Often discouraged in favor of feature branches and pull requests for better code review.Developers are advised not to "push to master/main" without a thorough code review and passing all tests.
"The build is broken"Indicates that the automated build process has failed, often due to errors in the newly committed code or configuration issues.We can't deploy anything until we fix why "the build is broken"; we need to check the logs.
"Trigger a build"To initiate the automated build process manually (e.g., by clicking a button in the CI tool) or automatically (e.g., through a commit to the repository).Committing new code to the feature branch will automatically "trigger a build" in our CI system.
"Roll back a deployment"To revert to a previous, stable version of the software after a problematic deployment introduces bugs or instability.If the new release causes critical issues, we'll have to "roll back a deployment" to the last stable version.
"Code coverage"A metric that measures the percentage of source code that is executed during automated testing. Higher coverage suggests more thorough testing.We aim for high "code coverage", ideally above 80%, to ensure most of our application's logic is tested.
"Pass the tests"Means that all automated tests (unit, integration, end-to-end, etc.) configured in the CI pipeline have run successfully without finding any errors.The code must "pass the tests" in the staging environment before it can be considered for production deployment.
"Infrastructure as Code (IaC)"Managing and provisioning computing infrastructure (servers, networks, databases) through machine-readable definition files, rather than physical hardware configuration or interactive configuration tools.Using "Infrastructure as Code" with tools like Terraform helps us manage our server configurations consistently and reliably. You can learn more about it from AWS.

More: Integration Testing Glossary Key Terms for Software Testers

Conclusion

Mastering this Continuous Integration Glossary is a significant step in your journey to becoming proficient in software development. Understanding this specialized CI/CD vocabulary and related DevOps terms will boost your confidence and communication skills in technical settings. Keep practicing, explore more software development jargon, and don't be afraid of language learning errors – they are a natural part of the process. Consistent effort in learning programming terms will undoubtedly pay off.

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