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Continuous Delivery Pipelines - How to Build Better Software Faster
The essential handbook on how to build, use and improve your Continuous Delivery Pipeline.
If you want to create Better Software Faster, then you need Continuous Delivery, and at the heart of Continuous Delivery is the Deployment Pipeline.
You may already have one, or be thinking about building your first! Either way, this book offers a step-by-step guide to get the best Deployment Pipeline for your software.
Written by the inventor of the Deployment Pipeline and author of the award-winning book "Continuous Delivery: Reliable Software Releases through Build, Test, and Deployment Automation", Dave Farley, shares his advice and experience in this practical handbook.
Table of Contents
Preface
Deployment Pipeline Foundations
Chapter 1 - Introduction to Continuous Delivery
What is Continuous Delivery?
Three Key Ideas
Seven Essential Techniques
Chapter 2 - What is a Deployment Pipeline?
Scope and Purpose
Key Stages of a Deployment Pipeline
Key Practices for a Deployment Pipeline
Working Efficiently
Small, Autonomous Teams
The Deployment Pipeline is a Lean Machine
Summary
Chapter 3 - How to Build a Deployment Pipeline
Getting Started
Create a Commit Stage
Create an Artifact Repository
Create an Acceptance Stage
Create a Simple Version of Production
Next Steps
Chapter 4 - Test Driven Development
What is TDD?
Test First
Test All the Time
The Impact of Test-First on Design
Using ‘Testability’ to Improve Design
Chapter 5 - Automate Nearly Everything
An Essential Element of Continuous Delivery.
Test Automation
Build and Deployment Automation
Automate Data Migration
Automate Monitoring and Reporting
Infrastructure Automation
Benefits of Automation
Tips for Automation
Chapter 6 - Version Control
A Key Requirement for Deployment Pipelines
What to Version Control?
Reproducible Systems
The Route to Production
Branching
Deployment Pipeline Anatomy
Chapter 7 - The Development Environment
Paving the Way for the Deployment Pipeline.
Chapter 8 - The Commit Cycle
The Gateway to the Deployment Pipeline
Commit Stage Tests
Feedback in Five Minutes
Working in Small Steps
Continuous Integration
Generating Release Candidates
Summary
Chapter 9 - The Artifact Repository
The Heart of the Deployment Pipeline
Scope and Purpose
Storage Management
Next Steps
Chapter 10 - The Acceptance Stage
Confidence to Release
Aims of the Acceptance Stage
Steps in Running Acceptance Tests
What are Acceptance Tests?
How to Write Acceptance Tests
The Four-Layer Approach
Automating the Acceptance Stage
Scaling Up
Tips for Writing Acceptance Tests
Chapter 11 - Manual Testing
The Role of Manual Testing
When to Add Manual Testing?
Chapter 12 - Performance Testing
Evaluating the Performance of our System
Pass/Fail Performance Tests
Testing Usability
Component-Based Performance Testing
System-Level Performance Testing
High-Performance, Low-Latency Systems
Long-Running Tests
Control the Variables
Chapter 13 - Testing Non-Functional Requirements
What are Non-Functional Requirements?
Scalability
Testing Failure
Compliance and Regulation
Provenance
Audit and Traceability
Security Testing
Team Responsibility
Summary
Chapter 14 - Testing Data and Data Migration
Continuous Delivery and Data
Data Migration
Data Migration Testing Stage
Data Management
Limits of Deployment-Time Migration
Testing and Test Data
Summary
Chapter 15 - Release Into Production
The Production Environment
When to Release?
Release Strategies
Feedback from Production
In Production
Making Evidence-Based Decisions
Whole Pipeline Considerations
Chapter 16 - Infrastructure As Code
What is Infrastructure As Code?
Infrastructure Configuration Management
Recommended Principles
Recommended Practices
Infrastructure As Code and the Cloud
Chapter 17 - Regulation and Compliance
Responding to Regulatory Requirements
Techniques that Facilitate Regulatory Compliance
What Can Go Wrong?
The Deployment Pipeline as a Tool for Compliance
Continuous Compliance
Chapter 18 - Measuring Success
Making Evidence-Based Decisions
Purpose
Quality
Efficiency
Throughput and Stability
Calculating Lead Time
Improving Lead Time
Follow a Lean approach
Appendices
Appendix A - More Information
The Continuous Delivery Book
The Continuous Delivery YouTube Channel
Continuous Delivery Training
Further Reading
Notes
If you want to create Better Software Faster, then you need Continuous Delivery, and at the heart of Continuous Delivery is the Deployment Pipeline.
You may already have one, or be thinking about building your first! Either way, this book offers a step-by-step guide to get the best Deployment Pipeline for your software.
Written by the inventor of the Deployment Pipeline and author of the award-winning book "Continuous Delivery: Reliable Software Releases through Build, Test, and Deployment Automation", Dave Farley, shares his advice and experience in this practical handbook.
Table of Contents
Preface
Deployment Pipeline Foundations
Chapter 1 - Introduction to Continuous Delivery
What is Continuous Delivery?
Three Key Ideas
Seven Essential Techniques
Chapter 2 - What is a Deployment Pipeline?
Scope and Purpose
Key Stages of a Deployment Pipeline
Key Practices for a Deployment Pipeline
Working Efficiently
Small, Autonomous Teams
The Deployment Pipeline is a Lean Machine
Summary
Chapter 3 - How to Build a Deployment Pipeline
Getting Started
Create a Commit Stage
Create an Artifact Repository
Create an Acceptance Stage
Create a Simple Version of Production
Next Steps
Chapter 4 - Test Driven Development
What is TDD?
Test First
Test All the Time
The Impact of Test-First on Design
Using ‘Testability’ to Improve Design
Chapter 5 - Automate Nearly Everything
An Essential Element of Continuous Delivery.
Test Automation
Build and Deployment Automation
Automate Data Migration
Automate Monitoring and Reporting
Infrastructure Automation
Benefits of Automation
Tips for Automation
Chapter 6 - Version Control
A Key Requirement for Deployment Pipelines
What to Version Control?
Reproducible Systems
The Route to Production
Branching
Deployment Pipeline Anatomy
Chapter 7 - The Development Environment
Paving the Way for the Deployment Pipeline.
Chapter 8 - The Commit Cycle
The Gateway to the Deployment Pipeline
Commit Stage Tests
Feedback in Five Minutes
Working in Small Steps
Continuous Integration
Generating Release Candidates
Summary
Chapter 9 - The Artifact Repository
The Heart of the Deployment Pipeline
Scope and Purpose
Storage Management
Next Steps
Chapter 10 - The Acceptance Stage
Confidence to Release
Aims of the Acceptance Stage
Steps in Running Acceptance Tests
What are Acceptance Tests?
How to Write Acceptance Tests
The Four-Layer Approach
Automating the Acceptance Stage
Scaling Up
Tips for Writing Acceptance Tests
Chapter 11 - Manual Testing
The Role of Manual Testing
When to Add Manual Testing?
Chapter 12 - Performance Testing
Evaluating the Performance of our System
Pass/Fail Performance Tests
Testing Usability
Component-Based Performance Testing
System-Level Performance Testing
High-Performance, Low-Latency Systems
Long-Running Tests
Control the Variables
Chapter 13 - Testing Non-Functional Requirements
What are Non-Functional Requirements?
Scalability
Testing Failure
Compliance and Regulation
Provenance
Audit and Traceability
Security Testing
Team Responsibility
Summary
Chapter 14 - Testing Data and Data Migration
Continuous Delivery and Data
Data Migration
Data Migration Testing Stage
Data Management
Limits of Deployment-Time Migration
Testing and Test Data
Summary
Chapter 15 - Release Into Production
The Production Environment
When to Release?
Release Strategies
Feedback from Production
In Production
Making Evidence-Based Decisions
Whole Pipeline Considerations
Chapter 16 - Infrastructure As Code
What is Infrastructure As Code?
Infrastructure Configuration Management
Recommended Principles
Recommended Practices
Infrastructure As Code and the Cloud
Chapter 17 - Regulation and Compliance
Responding to Regulatory Requirements
Techniques that Facilitate Regulatory Compliance
What Can Go Wrong?
The Deployment Pipeline as a Tool for Compliance
Continuous Compliance
Chapter 18 - Measuring Success
Making Evidence-Based Decisions
Purpose
Quality
Efficiency
Throughput and Stability
Calculating Lead Time
Improving Lead Time
Follow a Lean approach
Appendices
Appendix A - More Information
The Continuous Delivery Book
The Continuous Delivery YouTube Channel
Continuous Delivery Training
Further Reading
Notes
100 pages, ebook
First published January 20, 2021
84 people are currently reading
370 people want to read
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
May 14, 2021
This is a quick read, and a nice summary of the concept, relative to the original CD book. It's mostly direct advice, with very little of the backing theory.
If you're new to CD and want to know what it's about, this is a good way to get an overview. If you're skeptical about CD, this definitely won't convince you. If you're an expert already, you probably won't learn much. If, like me, you read the original a number of years ago and need a refresher, it's fairly effective.
If you're new to CD and want to know what it's about, this is a good way to get an overview. If you're skeptical about CD, this definitely won't convince you. If you're an expert already, you probably won't learn much. If, like me, you read the original a number of years ago and need a refresher, it's fairly effective.
March 15, 2021
A must read handbook for anyone involved with software development.
March 23, 2022
This is a great short read on deployment pipelines and how they help power continuous delivery. You'll get the concepts really quickly and understand practical things you can do to make it happen.
May 14, 2021
I loved the book. It's like a handbook - short and right on the topic.
June 6, 2022
Another brilliant book by D. Farley - really short and useful. Totally recommended!
March 3, 2024
Book by the person who coined the term Delivery Pipeline. It’s a quick read - I read it over a 2h flight -, written in an easy and approachable style. The book contains some good sound advice on how to build pipelines, though the content doesn’t go far beyond the basics. For more in depth content, the book contains many references. But by the end of the book, you’ll end with a solid (high level) understanding of what Delivery Pipelines are all about. Though I have to say: I read nothing that I didn’t know already.
What I will fault the author for, is missed opportunities:
- The content on integration testing is far too lightweight. Considering the amount of times TDD is pitched, there was a big opportunity here to talk in depth about Behaviour Driven Development (BDD).
- That also applies to security testing: Shifting Security Left should be everyone’s focus, yet there is no content in the book on that. Sure, security testing as a concept is mentioned, but at a 30000 ft level.
At the end of the day, would I recommend it?
If you are new to the concept, yes. This can serve as your easy reading entry point, it’ll cover the general concept and the basics.
But for people with experience on the topic, this book will add nothing new.
What I will fault the author for, is missed opportunities:
- The content on integration testing is far too lightweight. Considering the amount of times TDD is pitched, there was a big opportunity here to talk in depth about Behaviour Driven Development (BDD).
- That also applies to security testing: Shifting Security Left should be everyone’s focus, yet there is no content in the book on that. Sure, security testing as a concept is mentioned, but at a 30000 ft level.
At the end of the day, would I recommend it?
If you are new to the concept, yes. This can serve as your easy reading entry point, it’ll cover the general concept and the basics.
But for people with experience on the topic, this book will add nothing new.
January 14, 2024
This book provides a refreshing perspective on CI/CD that isn't solely focused on technical implementations. Offers a comprehensive overview of CI/CD best practices, guiding readers on how to implement them step by step. It doesn't delve deep into technical details but instead focuses on the overarching principles of creating effective CI/CD pipelines.
As a software engineer who values clean code and code reviews, I appreciated how the book emphasized these aspects within the context of CI/CD.
However, it's important to note that this book isn't a technical manual. It doesn't provide in-depth technical implementations. Instead, it gives a clear vision of an excellent CI/CD process and how to approach it methodically.
In summary, "Continuous Delivery Pipelines" offers a non-technical yet valuable perspective on CI/CD, guiding readers towards best practices and a structured approach. It's a recommended read for those looking to grasp the holistic concept of CI/CD and its implementation.
As a software engineer who values clean code and code reviews, I appreciated how the book emphasized these aspects within the context of CI/CD.
However, it's important to note that this book isn't a technical manual. It doesn't provide in-depth technical implementations. Instead, it gives a clear vision of an excellent CI/CD process and how to approach it methodically.
In summary, "Continuous Delivery Pipelines" offers a non-technical yet valuable perspective on CI/CD, guiding readers towards best practices and a structured approach. It's a recommended read for those looking to grasp the holistic concept of CI/CD and its implementation.
December 27, 2023
This book does a good job of explaining continuous delivery pipelines, highlighting the benefits and importance of having an automated system for ensuring that apps are ready to be released and actually releasing them. It also gives some practical tips.
But at around 140 pages, it kind of just brushes the surface of some practices and ideas. It goes through each part of the pipeline, but not in much depth, which might leave you feeling either overfamiliar or confused. It's probably more handy as a checklist or a quick reference for those who are already experts in this area.
As someone who's worked a bit on setting up CI/CD pipelines, I would appreciate if the book can provide more concrete examples or explanations on some topics.
But at around 140 pages, it kind of just brushes the surface of some practices and ideas. It goes through each part of the pipeline, but not in much depth, which might leave you feeling either overfamiliar or confused. It's probably more handy as a checklist or a quick reference for those who are already experts in this area.
As someone who's worked a bit on setting up CI/CD pipelines, I would appreciate if the book can provide more concrete examples or explanations on some topics.
August 9, 2021
Personally, I only got a couple of new ideas, to me it worked more as a positive reinforcement for my experiences and ideas :-)
BUT... I think this book can definitely be mindblowing for people without real-life experiences (or limited ones) with Continuous Delivery/Deployment pipelines or to grab "selling pitch ideas" (that's why I rate it with four stars and not with two).
I missed having specific examples (e.g. a public CD pipeline with an example in order to land what the author really meant at some points which were "blurry").
BUT... I think this book can definitely be mindblowing for people without real-life experiences (or limited ones) with Continuous Delivery/Deployment pipelines or to grab "selling pitch ideas" (that's why I rate it with four stars and not with two).
I missed having specific examples (e.g. a public CD pipeline with an example in order to land what the author really meant at some points which were "blurry").
November 5, 2022
Very quick and practical read with strong core concepts to apply when building a pipeline.
It could only be better with more concrete examples instead of only theory, but that wasn't the purpose of the book.
It's more like a handbook on what should be on your mind if you want to build a continuous delivery pipeline.
It could only be better with more concrete examples instead of only theory, but that wasn't the purpose of the book.
It's more like a handbook on what should be on your mind if you want to build a continuous delivery pipeline.
April 28, 2021
Great concise book on Continuous Delivery (CD) from the author of the original definitive book! It captures all the essence, principles, techniques required to implement CD from scratch and what important things to note for. Highly recommended for reference!
January 9, 2023
Some sentences had typos that hindered understanding. Some content was repeated. That said, the book is a good primer for implementing CI/CD pipelines, a condensed version of the author's previous book "Continuous Delivery" that gives similar advice such as doing test-driven development.
October 24, 2021
A fantastic book. A very concise and to the point description of how to go about getting started and then refine your delivery pipelines.
January 29, 2022
I loved it. Straight to the essence. Reading this book should be mandatory for everybody involved in software delivery.
March 10, 2022
Interesting content, both for beginners and senior software engineers or managers. Unfortunately it is delivered in a rather self-promoting manner.
March 11, 2022
Great, concise introduction to continuous delivery pipelines.
January 23, 2023
Short intro to all key parts of the great delivery pipeline: from test, through commits to the release and after. Good point to start exploring and introducing into your own projects.
July 25, 2025
a lot of "ideology" and lack of practice case studies in depth. however, sparks some insights and ideas.
June 20, 2024
Great introduction to Continuous Delivery, or a great condensed refresher for one who has previously read the much longer Continuous Delivery book.
The final chapter on LMAX is itself a great review of all the CD ideas put into practice and an indication of the sorts of things that can be accomplished if building such a Deployment Pipeline is adopted as an approach. (They key may be having buy-in from stakeholders?)
The book deliberately I imagine avoids getting into technology specifics, but it would be interesting to know more about how the DSL for acceptance tests might be implemented.
The final chapter on LMAX is itself a great review of all the CD ideas put into practice and an indication of the sorts of things that can be accomplished if building such a Deployment Pipeline is adopted as an approach. (They key may be having buy-in from stakeholders?)
The book deliberately I imagine avoids getting into technology specifics, but it would be interesting to know more about how the DSL for acceptance tests might be implemented.
December 27, 2022
This is a thin and to the point book which is useful if you are looking at setting up a continuous delivery pipeline.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews