Role of Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) in Software Lifecycle

Abstract

The integration of Continuous Integration (CI) and Continuous Deployment (CD) has become a cornerstone of modern software development, fundamentally transforming the software development lifecycle (SDLC) by emphasizing automation and collaboration. This research paper offers a comprehensive synthesis of recent literature and in-depth case studies, highlighting CI/CD's significant impact on key metrics such as developer productivity, code reliability, and release frequency. Beyond the technical improvements, the methodology provides a crucial competitive advantage by enabling a faster time-to-market, improving code quality, and creating more resilient deployment processes. This paper concludes by discussing the practical challenges of adoption, examining current industry trends, and identifying promising future research opportunities in this rapidly evolving field of software engineering, asserting that CI/CD is no longer a luxury but a strategic imperative for any organization seeking to remain competitive.

Keywords