What is a CI/CD Pipeline?

CI/CD, short for Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment, is an automated process to consistently and quickly deliver software updates without creating errors or interruptions in the service. Put simply, every time a developer tries to make a change to the codebase, the code is automatically built, tested, and measured. If any step fails, the developer is notified. But if all checks succeed, the code is deployed.

Continuous Integration (CI) specifically refers to the automated merging of new code into your master branch, while Continuous Delivery (CD) refers to the automated deployment of the code into production. While it’s possible to have one without the other, best practice is to aim for both.

Browser automation is commonly used within the context of a CI/CD pipeline. Most commonly, such scripts will be used to test the application in a real world setting. However, a headless browser will also often be used to generate dynamic assets (such as social share cards) or scrape web data (such as product reviews) for inclusion in the deployed application.

How can BrowserCat help with your CI/CD Pipeline?

BrowserCat dramatically increases the speed and reliability of your CI/CD pipeline. First, by reducing the configuration and resource burden of installing and running heavy browsers within a typically light pipeline environment. And second, by radically parallelizing the number of tests or automations you can run at time.

By integrating BrowserCat into your CI/CD pipeline, you’ll continuously build better software, quicker, saving your developers’ valuable time for other crucial code-building tasks. Give BrowserCat a try today!