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Common risks lurking in your CI/CD pipelines

The key objective of any modern software product is to reach its end-user at an unprecedented speed. For that, everyone needs a robust pipeline for the application lifecycle management and continuous delivery of high-quality solutions. This is exactly what the CI/CD pipeline bodes for any business model that harnesses a software process to deliver code changes more frequently and in a reliable way.

Yet you won’t be able to build code, run tests, and deploy new versions without a profound knowledge of the risks involved. Today, we’ll have a quick overview of the major areas of risk within a continuous delivery process. Stay tuned.

The 3 Risks In Continuous Delivery Pipelines

1. Test Automation

Test automation is the cornerstone of all modern delivery pipelines that can either sink or swim your development process. It’s called automated testing because it can easily be executed by the computer to rapidly run through thousands of scenarios or test cases in a matter of moments. Automated tests fulfill multiple roles, including quality code, stable product, and bug-free solutions.

The biggest challenge related to automated testing is excessive dependence on manual testing and top-heavy functional testing which accounts for insufficient integration tests. Teams that lean on manual testing undermine the very essence of DevOps since manual tests and DevOps are poles apart. This antagonistic combo results in a sluggish and cumbersome process, increasing your chances of failure.

2. Tooling

CI/CD tools are major success factors for running an effective and unfailing CI/CD delivery pipeline. Reducing the software development lifecycle, boosting the speed of deployments, and fostering collaboration are fundamental principles of the DevOps approach that are reinforced by the right CI/CD tooling.

However, if you keep switching the tools, you won’t be able to provide a seamless and transparent user experience. If the tool falls short of providing ease of operation, users will grow to loathe your solution and seek their own alternatives. Additionally, if some tools lack proper configuration, they will generate bottlenecks and have a particular toll on your company’s potential and valuable customer loyalty.

3. Security

CI/CD pipelines are built from a mixture of different components that team up to foster effective integration and deployment. This combination broadens your attack surface with an extensive list of components, such as repositories and containers. Considering that some tools fail to provide transparency and require frequent switching between platforms, this ushers in more vulnerabilities to slip through to production and launch.

Although the need for security monitoring lies on the surface, the majority of DevOps practitioners do not have the training, motivation, or, simply, time to define potential security vulnerabilities that come along with fast and efficient application delivery. Developers should inject security into their CI/CD pipelines by monitoring them from end to end with access control being watertight across the toolchain.

The Bottom Line

When it comes to productivity, agility, and performance - continuous integration / continuous delivery pipelines are your great auxiliaries. However, all trailblazing practices come at a price.

In this case, you exchange increased development speed for vulnerable continuous environments and other risks linked with tooling and automated testing. A third-party tool like LaunchDarkly can help you eliminate some risks connected with unmanaged processes by ensuring central visibility and control as well as assist in feature testing once in production.

What if you could "safely" ship software faster? Make speed a habit and learn how your team can reap the rewards of CI/CD without all of the risk. Download your copy of 'Progressive Delivery' and learn what elite software teams have in common, today!

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