Continuous Integration

Continuous Integration (CI) is a development practice that requires developers to integrate code into a shared repository several times a day. Each check-in is then verified by an automated build, allowing teams to detect problems early.

Teams practicing continuous integration seek two objectives:

• minimize the duration and effort required by each integration episode
• be able to deliver a product version suitable for release at any moment

Advantages:

• By integrating regularly, you can detect errors quickly, and locate them more easily.
• Because you’re integrating so frequently, there is significantly less back-tracking to discover where things went wrong, so you can spend more time building features.
• A continuous integration approach ensures that the project is always ready to use.

 The continuous integration process involves multiple parts working together to accomplish the desired goals. The following are some of the primary parts of a continuous integration system.

• Source Control
• Build Server
• Automated Tests
• Notifications
• Build Publishing 

Tools for CI:

• Jenkins
• Buildbot
• Travis CI
• Strider
• Integrity