Deployment pipeline

A deployment pipeline is a sequence of tools and programs that automate everything around the deployment of new versions of a service or application to various environments, including production.

The purpose of the deployment pipeline is to hide a lot of the complexity associated with releasing updates, such as database migrations, running tests, creating and destroying containers, updating load balancers, etc.

A delivery pipeline speeds up delivery and reduces the risk of human error. Other advantages include reduced overheads for the business, because operations staff don’t need to work in shifts outside of normal office hours to provide support for complex releases.