CONTINUOUS DELIVERY Meaning and
Definition
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Continuous delivery is a software development approach that aims at continuously delivering high-quality and reliable software updates and enhancements to end-users. It is an extension of the agile development methodology and is focused on rapidly and consistently releasing software to meet the evolving requirements and expectations of users.
In continuous delivery, the software development process is structured to ensure that each code change made by the development team is automatically built, tested, and then deployed to production environments. This streamlined, automated approach reduces the risk of potential errors and enables developers to quickly identify and resolve any issues that arise.
By adopting continuous delivery, organizations can significantly improve their software release efficiency and frequency. It allows for a faster feedback loop with end-users, as each release incrementally incorporates their feedback and requirements. Moreover, continuous delivery enables teams to continuously enhance and refine their software product by regularly introducing iterative improvements.
Continuous delivery relies heavily on automation, including build automation, test automation, and deployment automation. It often integrates with other development practices like continuous integration, where all code changes from multiple developers on a team are continuously merged and tested in a shared repository.
Overall, continuous delivery enables organizations to achieve faster time-to-market, reduce operational risks, and continuously improve their software products, resulting in increased customer satisfaction and competitive advantage in today’s rapidly evolving software landscape.
Etymology of CONTINUOUS DELIVERY
The word "continuous delivery" is a compound word consisting of two components:
1. Continuous: The word "continuous" comes from the Latin word "continuus", meaning "uninterrupted" or "unbroken". It entered the English language in the early 17th century.
2. Delivery: The word "delivery" comes from the Late Latin word "deliverare", which means "to liberate" or "to set free". It can be traced back to the Latin word "deliberare", meaning "to free from" or "to extricate". "Delivery" entered English around the 14th century.
The combination of these two words forms the term "continuous delivery", which refers to the software engineering practice of releasing software in small, frequent, and automated increments to ensure a constant flow of updates and improvements.
