Ultimate Guide to CI/CD Best Practices to Streamline DevOps

Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) have become fundamental practices for reliably delivering high-quality software at scale. CI/CD provides the framework to streamline development processes, reduce risks, and accelerate time to market.

CI/CD isn't just a set of tools and processes—it's a shift in how software is developed, tested, and deployed. It automates repetitive tasks while delivering consistent quality, helping your development teams deliver features and fixes more rapidly (and with greater confidence).

Here's why CI/CD matters:

• Accelerated Software Delivery: Automating the build, test, and deployment processes allows for faster and more frequent releases.
• Improved Code Quality: Continuous integration frequently merges and tests code to catch bugs early and maintain high code quality throughout development.
• Better Collaboration: CI/CD creates a culture of shared responsibility and collaboration between development and operations teams, breaking down silos and improving overall workflows.
• Fewer Deployment Risks: CI/CD reduces the risk associated with large-scale deployments by deploying smaller, incremental changes. Feature flags and automated rollbacks improve stability and control.
• Faster Feedback Loops: Automated testing and continuous monitoring provide immediate feedback on code changes to let developers identify and address issues quickly.

Below, we'll walk you through all the CI/CD best practices that'll help you streamline DevOps workflows.

CI/CD best practices to streamline DevOps workflows

Implementing CI/CD is a transformative step towards more reliable (and efficient) software delivery. However, implementing it alone isn't enough—you'll need to follow a handful of best practices to create secure and scalable CI/CD pipelines.

1. Commit frequently

One of the foundational principles of CI/CD is to commit code changes frequently. This practice keeps changes small, manageable, and easier to integrate, leading to a more stable and reliable codebase. Frequent, smaller commits minimize the risk of large, complex merges and reduce the likelihood of conflicts and bugs.

"Think big, act small," says Darrin Eden, a Senior Software Engineer at LaunchDarkly. "The most frequent source of outages is code deployments. Make the smallest change possible that helps build shared knowledge and trust. If possible, avoid batching changes and deploy a single change at a time. Build in adaptive capacity for people to be resilient while responding to incidents."

2. Optimize pipeline stages

The first step in optimizing your CI/CD pipeline is identifying stages where delays or inefficiencies occur. Use monitoring tools to track the performance of each stage and pinpoint areas that slow down the process. Once identified, work on eliminating these bottlenecks by refining processes, optimizing resource allocation, or parallelizing tasks.

Running tasks in parallel drastically reduces pipeline execution time. For example, you can run unit tests, integration tests, and static code analysis simultaneously rather than sequentially. This approach leverages available resources more efficiently and speeds up the overall pipeline.

Regularly monitor the performance of your CI/CD pipeline. Use metrics and logs to track key performance indicators (KPIs) such as build time, test duration, and deployment frequency. Continuously analyze this data to identify areas for improvement and make necessary adjustments to maintain optimal performance.

Caching and reusing build artifacts saves significant time during the pipeline execution. For example, if you have dependencies or libraries that don't change often, cache them so they don't need to be rebuilt or downloaded every time. This reduces redundancy and speeds up the build process.

3. Build code artifacts once 

Build your code once and then use the same build artifacts across all environments. This approach maintains consistency, reduces duplication, and minimizes the risk of inconsistencies between environments.

Multiple builds can lead to subtle differences in the artifacts, even if the source code hasn't changed. These differences can cause inconsistencies that are hard to diagnose and resolve.

Using the same artifacts across development, testing, staging, and production environments helps you eliminate discrepancies from multiple builds. This consistency guarantees that what you test is exactly what you deploy, reducing the risk of unexpected issues in production.

Here are a few best practices to keep in mind:

• Centralized Artifact Repository: Store build artifacts in a centralized repository. Tools like JFrog Artifactory or Nexus Repository Manager can manage and distribute these artifacts across your pipeline stages.
• Immutable Artifacts: Once an artifact is built, help it remain immutable. Any changes to the code should trigger a new build, resulting in a new artifact version.
• Automated Build Processes: Automate your build process to consistently create and store artifacts. Use CI/CD tools like Jenkins, GitLab CI, or AWS CodePipeline to manage and automate these builds.
• LaunchDarkly Deployments: Use LaunchDarkly's feature flags to decouple deployment from release and deploy consistent build artifacts across environments while controlling feature rollouts.

4. Automate tests

Automated testing keeps your code reliable, maintainable, and ready for deployment at any time. Here are a few automated tests you should run to improve your CI/CD pipeline:

• Unit Tests: These tests focus on individual components or functions of your codebase to guarantee that each part works as expected in isolation. They are typically fast to run and should cover as much of the codebase as possible.
• Integration Tests: These tests verify that different components of your application work together correctly. They help identify issues that may not be apparent in isolated unit tests but become evident when components interact.
• End-to-End Tests: These tests simulate real user scenarios and validate the entire application workflow from start to finish. They guarantee that the application functions correctly in a production-like environment (covering everything from the user interface to the database).

Prioritize faster tests (such as unit tests) early in the pipeline to catch issues quickly. Follow up with integration and end-to-end tests to validate more complex interactions. Make test results easily accessible to developers—with clear reporting and dashboards—to highlight any issues that need to be addressed.

Tools can help with your automation processes. Use infrastructure as code (IaC) tools like Terraform or Ansible to automate the setup of testing environments. Integrate automated testing tools with your CI/CD pipeline. Tools like Selenium, JUnit, and TestNG can help automate various types of tests and integrate seamlessly with CI/CD platforms.

However, keep in mind that automated testing isn't an end-all-be-all solution.

5. Keep builds fast and simple

Fast builds provide quicker feedback loops, allowing developers to identify and fix issues sooner. This accelerates the development process and improves overall efficiency.

Carefully manage and optimize your project's dependencies and build configurations. Unnecessary or outdated dependencies can slow down build times and introduce potential conflicts. Review and update dependencies regularly, and use dependency management tools to streamline this process.

Use straightforward and consistent build scripts and avoid overly complex configurations. This speeds up builds, reduces the likelihood of errors, and makes it easier to update and manage the build process over time.

Using feature flags with LaunchDarkly can help keep your builds fast and simple by enabling you to deploy features incrementally and test them in production environments. This approach reduces the need for complex branching strategies and allows you to focus on maintaining a clean and streamlined codebase.

6. Use shared pipelines (DRY)

Adopting a "Don't Repeat Yourself" (DRY) approach helps you maintain efficient and maintainable CI/CD pipelines. Reusing pipeline configurations across projects promotes consistency, reduces duplication, and streamlines development processes.

The DRY principle stresses reducing repetition in your code and configurations. In the context of CI/CD pipelines, this means creating reusable components and templates that can be shared across multiple projects.

Instead of writing separate CI/CD configurations for each project, create common templates and configurations that can be reused. This saves time and guarantees that best practices and standards are consistently applied. Use tools that support templating and reusable configurations, such as:

• Jenkins Shared Libraries
• GitLab CI templates
• YAML anchors in AWS CodePipeline

LaunchDarkly's feature flags help you adopt the DRY approach by allowing you to manage feature releases consistently across multiple projects. Centralizing feature flag configurations guarantees all projects follow the same release practices, reducing the risk of inconsistencies and simplifying feature management.

7. Take a security-first approach

Adding security checks and practices throughout the pipeline helps you identify and mitigate vulnerabilities early. Here's how to make that happen:

• Automate Security Tests: Integrate automated security tests into your CI/CD pipeline. Double-check your tests run with every code commit and provide immediate feedback to developers.
• Use Security Plugins and Tools: Leverage security plugins and tools that integrate with your CI/CD platform. These tools can provide real-time analysis and alerts for potential security issues.
• Conduct Regular Audits: Regularly audit your CI/CD pipeline and application code to maintain compliance with security standards and best practices. Address any identified issues quickly to maintain a strong security posture.
• Educate and Train Developers: Provide ongoing education and training for your development team on secure coding practices and the latest security threats.

LaunchDarkly's feature flags let you control feature rollouts and manage access to new functionality by decoupling deployments from release—this lets you perform security testing on features in a production-like environment before they are widely available.

8. Create test environments on demand

On-demand test environments allow you to create and dismantle testing setups dynamically based on your testing needs. Spinning up and tearing down environments as needed helps you better mimic production conditions, test thoroughly, and maintain resource efficiency.

Replicate the production environment as closely as possible—this includes matching the following:

• Configurations
• Software versions
• Networking settings
• Data sets

Accurate test environments help identify issues that might only surface under production conditions.

Containerize your applications and dependencies to create isolated test environments. Containers can be quickly deployed, scaled, and removed, making them ideal for on-demand testing.

9. Monitor and measure your pipeline

Comprehensive monitoring and logging provide visibility into every aspect of your CI/CD pipeline. Use monitoring tools like Prometheus, Grafana, Datadog, or Elastic Stack to collect and visualize data on pipeline performance.

Logging tools help capture detailed information about each pipeline run, including build times, test results, and deployment statuses. This visibility allows you to detect anomalies, understand trends, and diagnose issues promptly.

Here are a handful of metrics to watch and track:

• Build Time: The time it takes to complete a build from start to finish.
• Deployment Frequency: How often code changes are deployed to production.
• Lead Time: The time it takes from code commit to deployment in production.
• Mean Time to Recovery (MTTR): The average time it takes to recover from a failed deployment.
• Test Pass Rate: The percentage of tests that pass successfully.

Analyze the data from your monitoring and logging tools regularly to identify bottlenecks and inefficiencies in your pipeline. Address issues quickly to prevent them from impacting overall performance.

10. Involve the whole team in CI/CD implementation

Encourage a culture where everyone (from developers to operations and QA) feels responsible for the CI/CD pipeline's success. Promote cross-functional collaboration and guarantee that all team members understand their roles and how their contributions impact the overall process. Shared ownership leads to better communication, faster problem-solving, and a more cohesive team effort.

Provide your team with the necessary skills and know-how to implement and maintain CI/CD practices. Offer training sessions, workshops, and access to learning resources on CI/CD tools, automation practices, and DevOps methodologies. Encourage team members to share their knowledge and experiences through internal presentations, documentation, and peer learning sessions.

Create an environment where feedback is welcomed and valued. Regularly solicit feedback from team members on the CI/CD processes and tools being used. Conduct retrospectives and incident reviews to review what's working well and what needs improvement. Use this feedback to make iterative improvements to your CI/CD pipeline.

11. Implement progressive delivery strategies 

Progressive delivery builds upon the core principles of CI/CD by introducing additional control mechanisms that mitigate the risks associated with continuous deployment. It introduces safeguards and control levers that reduce the risks of continuous deployments.

At a basic level, progressive delivery entails gradually releasing code changes. You may start a rollout with a canary deployment, for example, in which you release new features to a small subset of users—letting you monitor the impact of new features on a small scale and quickly address any issues. If the canary test is successful, the feature can be gradually rolled out to more users. 

You could then expand the rollout to beta users, then to users in the Western U.S., then Eastern U.S., and so on until you’ve released to all intended users.

LaunchDarkly provides a robust feature management platform that enables safe and efficient progressive delivery. You can use feature flags to control feature visibility, conduct canary tests, and manage rollouts.

12. Choose your CI/CD tools with care

Look for tools that address your key challenges, whether it's automation, testing, deployment, or monitoring. Here are a few factors to consider:

• Scalability: Double-check that the tools can scale with your organization's growth. They should handle increased workloads and larger projects without compromising performance.
• Integration: Choose tools that integrate easily with your existing systems and workflows. This includes your version control system, build tools, testing frameworks, and deployment platforms.
• Community Support: Choose tools with solid community support and active development. An active community can provide valuable resources, plugins, extensions, and quick answers to issues.

13. Create a culture of continuous improvement

Open communication and regular feedback are the foundations of continuous improvement:

• Environment: Foster an environment where team members feel comfortable sharing their thoughts, ideas, and concerns.
• Feedback: Regularly solicit feedback on your CI/CD processes and tools, and use this input to identify areas for improvement.
• Meetings: Conduct regular team meetings, retrospectives, and post-incident reviews to discuss successes and challenges openly.

Schedule regular reviews of your CI/CD pipeline to identify bottlenecks, inefficiencies, and areas that could benefit from automation. Use metrics and feedback to guide these reviews, and implement changes incrementally to avoid disrupting ongoing work. Identify repetitive tasks that can be automated and implement the necessary tools and scripts to handle them.

Adopt CI/CD best practices with LaunchDarkly

Implementing these CI/CD best practices helps you accelerate your development process, reduce deployment risks, and continuously improve your workflows—and those are essential outcomes for delivering high-quality software consistently and reliably.

And we can help.

LaunchDarkly's feature management platform empowers you to implement progressive delivery strategies, manage feature flags, and maintain safe and controlled rollouts. This lets you decouple deployments from releases, perform canary and blue/green deployments, and facilitate quick rollbacks.

Start your free trial today (or get a demo) to see how LaunchDarkly can help you ship faster, safer, and smarter software.