When you’re new to development, CI/CD can sound like one of those “senior developer things” — important, but abstract and intimidating.
In reality, CI/CD is just about automating the boring but critical parts of shipping code.
Let’s explain it through a simple story, using GitHub Actions concepts you may have already seen:
workflow, event, jobs, steps, runner, and artifacts.
No buzzwords. No magic.
The Problem CI/CD Solves
Imagine this workflow:
- You write code
- You test it manually
- You build it manually
- You deploy it manually
- Something breaks anyway
This process is slow, repetitive, and stressful — especially as a project grows or more people join.
CI/CD exists to automate this process.
- CI (Continuous Integration) checks your code automatically
- CD (Continuous Delivery / Deployment) prepares or ships it automatically
GitHub Actions is one tool that helps you do this.
Think of CI/CD as a Robot Assistant
CI/CD is like a robot that watches your repository and says:
“Whenever something important happens, I’ll take care of the routine work.”
That robot is controlled by something called a workflow.
Workflow: The Plan
A workflow is a set of instructions written in a YAML file.
It answers two questions:
- When should automation run?
- What should it do?
Example idea:
“When code is pushed, run tests and build the app.”
The workflow just sits there until something wakes it up.
Event: What Triggers Everything
An event is what starts the workflow.
Common events include:
- Pushing code
- Opening a pull request
- Running on a schedule
Story-wise:
You push code → an event happens → the workflow starts.
No event, no automation.
Jobs: The Big Tasks
Once the workflow starts, it creates one or more jobs.
Each job represents a big task, such as:
- Running tests
- Building the application
- Deploying the app
Jobs can:
- Run in parallel
- Depend on other jobs
Example logic:
“Only build the app if the tests pass.”
Runner: The Machine Doing the Work
A runner is the machine that executes a job.
It’s just a computer:
- Linux, Windows, or macOS
- Hosted by GitHub or by you
Think of it like this:
Jobs don’t do work themselves.
They ask a runner to do it.
Steps: The Small Instructions
Each job is broken down into steps.
Steps are the smallest units of work:
- Check out the code
- Install dependencies
- Run tests
- Build files
Steps run one after another, in order.
If a step fails, the job stops — which is exactly what you want.
Artifacts: What You Keep After the Job
Some jobs produce useful files:
- Build outputs
- Test reports
- Logs
Artifacts are files you choose to save after a workflow run. Those are the files you intend to upload to your production server
They let you:
- Download build results
- Share files between jobs
- Debug failures later
In other words:
“We worked hard on this — don’t throw it away.”
The Full CI/CD Story
Putting it all together:
- You push code (event)
- A workflow starts
- The workflow creates jobs
- Jobs run on a runner
- Jobs execute steps
- Steps produce artifacts
- Everything runs automatically
That’s CI/CD.
Why This Matters
CI/CD gives you:
- Faster feedback
- Fewer production bugs
- Less manual work
- More confidence when shipping code
Instead of wondering:
“Did I forget to run something?”
You let the system handle it.
Final Thought
CI/CD isn’t about complexity — it’s about trusting automation to do the repeatable work better than humans.
Once you understand workflows, events, jobs, steps, runners, and artifacts, you already understand the foundation of modern CI/CD.
The rest is just details.
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