In the constantly evolving landscape of software development, Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipelines are the foundation of efficiency and reliability.
The Continuous Delivery Foundation (CDF) has long been at the forefront of advocating for improved software delivery practices, with the goal of increasing both the security and speed of the development process. Recently, at the fifth annual cdCon, the CDF presented its latest findings in the State of CI/CD Report, shedding light on the current landscape of Continuous Integration (CI) and Continuous Delivery (CD) practices.
Here are some of the key takeaways from this year’s report:
DevOps Adoption on the Rise
- 83 percent of developers report involvement in DevOps-related activities, indicating a widespread adoption of DevOps practices across the industry.
- Interestingly, less experienced developers are less likely to adopt DevOps practices and technologies, highlighting the importance of education and training in this area.
Challenges in Deployment Performance
- The proportion of low performers on deployment performance metrics is on the rise, indicating a worrying trend in the industry.
- However, there is a strong correlation between the number of DevOps technologies used by developers and the likelihood of being a top performer, highlighting the importance of adopting a diverse toolset.
Impact of CI/CD Tools
- The use of CI/CD tools is associated with better deployment performance across all metrics outlined in the DORA (DevOps Research and Assessment) framework.
- The report shows that developers using both managed and self-hosted CI/CD tools have the highest adoption rates, highlighting the importance of a well-integrated toolchain.
Interoperability Challenges
- Deployment performance tends to suffer when organizations use multiple CI/CD tools of the same type, pointing to interoperability challenges.
- This highlights the importance of selecting compatible tools and promoting seamless integration within the development ecosystem.
Let’s take a quick look at the main ones, and a few from the cloud-native ecosystem, to explore the CI/CD tool landscape in 2024.
Jenkins
Jenkins is an open-source automation server widely used to automate various tasks involved in the software development process, particularly Continuous Integration (CI) and Continuous Deployment (CD). It provides a flexible environment for building, testing, and deploying software across different platforms and environments.
Jenkins has been synonymous with CI/CD for decades. Its open-source nature and extensibility have made it the go-to choice of countless development teams around the world. In 2024, Jenkins boasts a revamped interface and seamless integration capabilities with modern cloud-native technologies. It remains a robust choice, offering unparalleled flexibility for diverse development environments.
GitLab
GitLab is a complete DevOps platform that combines source code management, CI/CD, and project management functionalities in a single application. It enables teams to collaborate efficiently across the entire software development lifecycle, from planning and coding to testing and deployment.
In 2024, GitLab continues to push the boundaries of collaboration and automation. Its CI/CD capabilities have evolved to provide intuitive pipelines, robust security scanning, and deep insight into deployment metrics. With GitLab, teams can streamline their development workflows and foster a culture of collaboration and innovation.
GitHub Actions
GitHub Actions burst onto the CI/CD scene with its seamless integration into the world’s largest developer platform, GitHub. In 2024, GitHub Actions has evolved into an automation powerhouse, offering a rich marketplace of reusable workflows and integrations. With its serverless architecture and native GitHub integration, developers can easily automate their workflows, to accelerate software delivery while maintaining code quality and reliability.
Azure DevOps
Azure DevOps is a comprehensive suite of development tools from Microsoft. It includes services for version control, build automation, release management, and more. Microsoft’s Azure DevOps has established itself as a comprehensive suite for end-to-end DevOps practices.
In 2024, Azure DevOps continues to innovate and bridge the gap between development and operations teams. Its CI/CD capabilities provide seamless integration with Azure services, enabling teams to build, test, and deploy applications with confidence. With features like multi-stage pipelines and release gates, Azure DevOps enables organizations to deliver value to customers faster and more efficiently.
Argo CD
Argo CD is a declarative continuous delivery tool for Kubernetes, representing the evolution of CI/CD towards GitOps principles, where infrastructure and application deployments are managed declaratively using Git repositories as the single source of truth.
In 2024, Argo CD has gained traction in Kubernetes-native environments, offering automated deployment workflows and advanced synchronization capabilities. By embracing GitOps, Argo CD simplifies the management of complex applications and ensures consistency and reliability across environments.
Keptn
Keptn is a cloud-native continuous delivery platform that automates and standardizes deployment, testing, and monitoring workflows for cloud-native applications. Its integration with DORA metrics ensures that organizations can effectively measure and improve their deployment performance.
In 2024, Keptn will continue to be recognised for its ability to streamline the delivery process in dynamic and scalable cloud-native infrastructures, making it a valuable addition to the CI/CD tool set.
Conclusions
The CI/CD landscape in 2024 reflects a shift towards greater automation, collaboration, and reliability.
Each tool, from the resilient Jenkins to the innovative Keptn, brings unique strengths to the table. By choosing the right tools and practices aligned with organizational goals, teams can unlock efficiency, agility, and innovation in their software development processes, driving value for business and end-users alike.
Main Author: Matteo Gazzetta, Team Leader and DevOps Engineer @ Bitrock
