(Newswire.net — October 12, 2023) —
Now more than ever, developers are being pressured to release more content as demand for faster releases, especially in the mobile space, continues to rise. Over 80% of developers say that they’re releasing code faster now than in 2021, requiring new tools and techniques for devs in order to stay ahead of the competition. An increasingly popular method of streamlining the development process is through the use of CI/CD automation.
Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment, or CI/CD, automation is a series of methods that attempt to remove a significant portion of human intervention and streamline the process when developing, testing, and deploying all types of code. Continuous Integration (CI) is the first step of this method, primarily aims to catch and fix issues early into the development cycle. This is done as developers upload and integrate their changes into a shared mainline, often multiple times a day. After code is integrated, an automated build process is triggered, which compiles the newly uploaded code, runs a number of tests, and checks for any integration issues. The second part of this process, Continuous Delivery (CD), takes the code that was compiled and tested in the CI phase and automatically pushes it to the deployment phase. Once reaching the deployment phase, the code can be put directly into production or into a staging environment. Continuous Delivery makes it so that the latest version of an app is always ready for release, with minimal to even no manual interaction.
With both CI and CD running together, they can massively accelerate the development cycle and help devs have a more efficient and reliable workflow. By automating many repetitive tasks and reducing human error, this leaves developers free to work on the content itself, whether by fixing bugs, adding new features, and improving the overall experience for the end user. CI/CD also allows for new builds to be uploaded multiple times per day, letting separate teams communicate and collaborate much easier. This also eliminates the possibility of the isolation of features and code branches that produce integration issues or other bugs later on as code is being regularly integrated and tested. Companies are working towards more automation than ever and are attempting to fully implement best practices. Today, nearly a quarter of DevOps processes are fully automated, compared to 19% in 2021, and just 8% in 2020.
Even with the numerous benefits of adding CI/CD into developers’ workflow, many have yet to see this tech catch on, especially mobile devs, who need this tech more than any other industry. The mobile space is going through a skyrocketing demand for both mobile app devs and increasingly frequent content and updates for those apps. This trend can be credited to a number of factors, including the number of smartphone users worldwide reaching the billions, an increased reliance on mobile apps for daily tasks, and the overall evolution of the smartphone space. As consumers’ expectations for updates and content rise, companies around the world face more pressure to deliver more features and new ideas into their updates in order to remain relevant and competitive in the market. As businesses face pressure, the demand for mobile app devs reaches new heights as they are constantly seeking talent in order to meet their ever-rising development needs.
Even with the increasing demand for mobile devs, the industry as a whole still faces a number of other real world complications that significantly impact the developmental process. One major hurdle for the market is a shortage of engineers with DevOps experience, who are vital for streamlining many processes involved during development, testing, and deployment. Additionally, the mobile app industry is notorious for its unforgiving nature, as users have high expectations and are quick to uninstall and leave negative reviews if even small aspects are subpar. Smalls bugs or hitches in app performance, design, or functionality can easily push users away if not immediately resolved. In order to keep with user satisfaction and with competition, developers need to nearly constantly be releasing new content and updates regularly.
Learn more about how CI/CD automation in the mobile app space is vital for devs to stay ahead of the curve here.
Source: BitRise.io