What does CI/CD stand for in cloud computing?

CI/CD stands for Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (or Continuous Delivery) in cloud computing. This approach focuses on automating the process of integrating code changes from multiple developers into a shared repository, followed by automated testing and deployment processes to streamline the release of new software updates.

Continuous Integration involves regularly merging code changes into a central repository, where automated builds and tests are run, ensuring that any integration issues are detected early. Continuous Deployment takes this a step further, automatically pushing the tested code changes into production, allowing new features and fixes to be available to users quickly and efficiently.

This methodology significantly enhances the software development lifecycle by promoting faster and more reliable releases, improving collaboration among development teams, and increasing overall software quality through regular testing and feedback loops. The essence of CI/CD is to make the entire process of software development more agile, reducing the time needed to get features into the hands of users while maintaining reliability and performance.