When to consider using each, who's using it?
Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) pipelines are critical components of modern software development and deployment. There are various tools available for setting up and managing CI/CD pipelines, each with its own features, costs, and use cases.
Jenkins: is a self-hosted CI/CD pipeline tool that is popular for its flexibility and customization options. Jenkins is free and open-source, but it can be complex to set up and manage.
Open source automation server for CI/CD tasks.
Highly customizable with over 1000 plugins.
Can integrate with other tools like Docker.
Steep learning curve, complex setup.
No native cloud support.
Features: Jenkins is an open-source automation server that provides a wide range of plugins and integrations. It is highly customizable and extensible. You can set up complex pipelines, build, test, and deploy applications across various platforms and technologies.
Cost: Jenkins is open source and free to use. However, costs may be incurred for hosting, maintenance, and additional plugins.
Use Cases: Jenkins is suitable for a wide range of projects and organizations due to its extensibility. It is often used in enterprises and for projects that require complex, custom CI/CD pipelines. Jenkins is a good choice for large projects with complex build and deployment processes.
GitHub Actions is a cloud-hosted CI/CD pipeline tool that is integrated with GitHub. GitHub Actions offers a free tier for public repositories, and paid plans are available for private repositories.
GitLab CI/CD: is a cloud-hosted CI/CD pipeline tool that is integrated with GitLab. GitLab CI/CD offers a free tier for small projects, and paid plans are available for larger projects.
CI/CD baked directly into GitHub.
Tight integration with code repos and issues.
Predefined templates and workflows available.
Limited customization compared to Jenkins.
Features: GitLab CI/CD is tightly integrated with GitLab and offers features like Auto DevOps, code review integration, and container registry. It provides a single platform for source code management and CI/CD.
Cost: GitLab offers a free tier, but pricing increases with additional features and users.
Use Cases: GitLab CI/CD is well-suited for projects hosted on GitLab and those looking for an integrated solution for version control and CI/CD. GitHub Actions and GitLab CI/CD are good choices for projects that are hosted on GitHub or GitLab, respectively.
Travis CI: is a cloud-hosted CI/CD pipeline tool that is popular for its support for open-source projects. Travis CI offers a free tier for open-source projects, and paid plans are available for private projects.
Features: Travis CI is a cloud-based CI/CD service that is easy to set up. It supports a variety of programming languages and provides a marketplace of pre-built CI/CD configurations.
Cost: Travis CI offers a free tier for open-source projects. Paid plans are available for private projects.
Use Cases: Travis CI is good for open-source projects and small to medium-sized teams looking for an easy-to-use, cloud-based CI/CD solution.
CircleCI: is a cloud-hosted CI/CD pipeline tool that is popular for its ease of use and its support for parallel builds. CircleCI offers a free tier for small projects, but paid plans can be expensive for larger projects.
SaaS platform for automating builds, tests and deployments.
Pre-built integration with GitHub, AWS, other tools.
Easy to set up and configure pipelines visually.
Pricing tiers based on usage, repos, and team size.
Features: CircleCI is a cloud-based CI/CD service that offers scalability and parallelism. It integrates well with Docker and Kubernetes and provides configuration via YAML files.
Cost: CircleCI offers a free tier for open-source projects. Paid plans are available based on usage and the number of concurrent jobs.
Use Cases: CircleCI is suitable for projects that require scalability and parallelism and are often used for containerized applications. CircleCI is a good choice for projects that need to be built and deployed quickly.
Azure DevOps (formerly VSTS): is a cloud-hosted CI/CD pipeline tool that is integrated with Azure DevOps. Azure Pipelines offers a free tier for small projects, and paid plans are available for larger projects.
CI/CD pipelines tightly integrated with Azure.
Easy to get started and connect to Azure services.
Tight version control integration.
Mostly beneficial for Microsoft stack users.
Features: Azure DevOps provides a comprehensive set of tools for the entire software development lifecycle, including CI/CD. It includes version control, build automation, release management, and more.
Cost: Azure DevOps offers a free tier for small teams, and pricing is based on the number of users and concurrent pipelines.
Use Cases: Azure DevOps is suitable for organizations using the Microsoft technology stack and those looking for an all-in-one solution for software development. Azure Pipelines is a good choice for projects that are hosted on Azure.
AWS CodePipeline:
Features: AWS CodePipeline is a managed CI/CD service that integrates with other AWS services. It allows you to create and manage pipelines using a visual editor or AWS CloudFormation.
Cost: AWS CodePipeline pricing is based on the number of pipelines and pipeline executions.
Use Cases: AWS CodePipeline is ideal for organizations with infrastructure hosted on AWS and looking for a tightly integrated CI/CD solution.
Here are some examples of how companies have used the CI/CD tools listed above:
Jenkins
Netflix uses Jenkins to automate the build, test, and deployment of its streaming platform.
Spotify uses Jenkins to automate the build, test, and deployment of its music streaming platform.
Amazon uses Jenkins to automate the build, test, and deployment of its e-commerce platform.
Google, being a major contributor to the Jenkins project, uses Jenkins for its CI/CD needs. They have a large number of Jenkins masters and agents distributed across their infrastructure to build and test their vast array of services and applications.
CircleCI
Docker, the containerization company, employs CircleCI for its CI/CD pipelines. CircleCI allows them to build and test their Docker images while ensuring compatibility with a range of platforms and configurations.
Foursquare uses CircleCI to automate the build, test, and deployment of its location-based social networking app.
Stripe uses CircleCI to automate the build, test, and deployment of its payment processing platform.
Slack uses CircleCI to automate the build, test, and deployment of its team communication platform.
GitHub Actions
Airbnb uses GitHub Actions to automate the build, test, and deployment of its home rental platform.
Shopify uses GitHub Actions to automate the build, test, and deployment of its e-commerce platform.
Duolingo uses GitHub Actions to automate the build, test, and deployment of its language learning platform.
GitLab CI/CD
GitLab and Auto DevOps: GitLab itself uses its CI/CD capabilities. With GitLab's Auto DevOps feature, they automatically apply CI/CD best practices to their own development process. This includes auto-building, testing, and deploying their applications.
Sony Interactive Entertainment uses GitLab CI/CD to automate the build, test, and deployment of its video game console software.
NASA uses GitLab CI/CD to automate the build, test, and deployment of its space exploration software.
Azure Pipelines
Microsoft uses its own Azure DevOps for a wide range of projects including Office 365, including the development of the Azure cloud platform. They utilize features like version control, build automation, release management, and extensive CI/CD pipelines to maintain a seamless development process.
Starbucks uses Azure Pipelines to automate the build, test, and deployment of its mobile app and its in-store ordering system.
Expedia uses Azure Pipelines to automate the build, test, and deployment of its travel booking platform.
Travis CI
Mozilla uses Travis CI to automate the build, test, and deployment of its Firefox web browser.
WordPress uses Travis CI to automate the build, test, and deployment of its content management system.
Ruby on Rails uses Travis CI to automate the build, test, and deployment of its web application framework.
Spotify, the music streaming service, uses Travis CI for their continuous integration needs. They have a comprehensive set of tests and build processes integrated into their development workflow to ensure the quality of their software.
AWS CodePipeline
Amazon Web Services (AWS) uses AWS CodePipeline for its own services. AWS CodePipeline is tightly integrated with other AWS services, allowing Amazon to manage complex CI/CD workflows across its extensive infrastructure.
Sash Barige
Sep/19/2022
Photo: unsplash.com
References
Jenkins: https://www.jenkins.io/
CircleCI: https://circleci.com/
GitHub Actions: https://github.com/features/actions
GitLab CI/CD: https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/ci/
Azure Pipelines: https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/products/devops/pipelines
Travis CI: https://www.travis-ci.com/
https://www.redhat.com/architect/tools/cloud-ci-cd-tools
https://www.cloudbees.com/blog/top-5-devops-trends-2022/comparison-of-cicd-tools
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