May 1, 2024
Updated July 10, 2025
14 minute read
Pipeline construction is a crucial aspect of software development, enabling engineers to automate various processes involved in the development cycle. Build pipelines, in particular, play a significant role in the continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) workflow. Understanding the concepts and implementation of build pipelines is essential for individuals seeking to improve their software development practices and advance their career in this field.
Pipeline Construction Fundamentals
Build pipelines are automated systems that stitch together various tasks in the software development process. These tasks may include building and testing code, running unit tests, and deploying the code to staging or production environments. The goal of a build pipeline is to streamline the development process, reduce errors, and create a more efficient and reliable workflow.
A typical build pipeline consists of several stages, each performing a specific task. Some of the common stages include:
- Source code management - Code changes are pulled from a version control system.
- Build - The code is compiled and built into an executable format.
- Test - Unit tests are executed to check the code's functionality.
- Deploy - The built code is deployed to a target environment.
- Monitor - The deployed code's performance is monitored for any issues.
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Find a path to becoming a Build pipelines. Learn more at:
OpenCourser.com/topic/9ct50s/build
Reading list
We've selected 31 books
that we think will supplement your
learning. Use these to
develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a
deeper understanding of the topics covered in
Build pipelines.
Is considered a foundational text for understanding the principles and practices of continuous integration and continuous delivery, which are at the heart of build pipelines. It provides a comprehensive guide to automating the software delivery process, covering essential techniques for building, testing, and deploying software reliably and efficiently. This must-read for anyone looking to gain a deep understanding of the technical and cultural aspects required for successful build pipelines.
Following the narrative of 'The Phoenix Project,' this handbook provides a practical guide to implementing DevOps principles, which are essential for effective build pipelines. It details how to integrate development, operations, and other teams to improve the entire value stream. is highly valuable for understanding the organizational and cultural changes necessary to support robust build pipelines and continuous delivery.
Presents the findings of rigorous research into the capabilities that drive high performance in technology organizations. It provides data-driven insights into the impact of DevOps practices, including continuous delivery and automation, on software delivery performance and organizational outcomes. It's valuable for understanding the business benefits and measurable impact of well-implemented build pipelines.
Presented as a novel, this book offers an accessible introduction to the core concepts of DevOps, including the principles behind efficient workflows and feedback loops that are fundamental to build pipelines. It illustrates the challenges and solutions in an IT department, making complex ideas relatable. While not a technical deep dive, it provides crucial context and a broad understanding of the 'why' behind implementing build pipelines and DevOps practices.
This classic work explores the foundational principles of continuous delivery, showing how to create an automated pipeline that promotes reliable software releases.
Focuses specifically on integrating security practices into the DevOps pipeline, a critical contemporary topic. It covers automated security testing and how to embed security throughout the development lifecycle. This is highly relevant for building secure build pipelines and ensuring that security is not an afterthought.
Addresses the crucial role of testing within the DevOps pipeline, focusing on continuous testing practices. It offers guidance from industry experts on implementing effective testing strategies throughout the CI/CD pipeline for both web and mobile applications. It's an essential read for ensuring quality is embedded in the build pipeline process.
Provides a detailed look at the practices and benefits of continuous integration, a core component of any build pipeline. It covers integrating code frequently, automated testing, and the impact of CI on software quality and risk reduction. While some of the tools mentioned may be dated, the fundamental principles remain highly relevant for understanding and implementing the integration phase of build pipelines.
This practical guide focuses on the design and development of CI/CD pipelines themselves, emphasizing treating pipelines as a product. It covers how to automate the software delivery process through pipelines and discusses testing strategies specifically for pipelines. It offers a hands-on perspective on building and refining the pipeline infrastructure.
Takes a hands-on approach to building continuous deployment pipelines using modern technologies like Docker and Kubernetes. It focuses on automating the entire pipeline with containerized microservices. It's a valuable resource for understanding contemporary practices and tools used in building advanced build pipelines.
Dives into building CI/CD pipelines using Jenkins, a widely used automation server. It provides solutions and guidance for setting up CI/CD processes with Jenkins, covering various aspects of pipeline creation and management. It's a practical guide for those utilizing or planning to use Jenkins for their build pipelines.
Provides a tool-specific guide to implementing CI/CD pipelines using GitLab. It covers building, testing, and deploying code with GitLab CI/CD, offering practical examples and best practices for automating the DevOps workflow within the GitLab platform.
Focusing on the cultural and human aspects of DevOps, this book explores how to build effective teams and foster collaboration, which is vital for successful build pipeline implementation and operation. It provides practical approaches for improving communication, creating a sense of affinity among teams, and leveraging tools effectively at scale. is essential for anyone involved in the people side of adopting and scaling DevOps practices.
Provides a practical, tool-specific guide to building CI/CD pipelines using Azure DevOps. It covers setting up agents, creating pipelines using both the classic editor and YAML, and working with artifacts. It's a valuable resource for those specifically working with Azure DevOps and needing hands-on knowledge of building pipelines within that environment.
Another tool-specific book focusing on Azure Pipelines, this resource offers a comprehensive guide to implementing CI/CD within Azure DevOps. It is aimed at those who want to become experienced Azure DevOps engineers and provides detailed information on designing and implementing pipelines. It serves as a strong reference for practical application in an Azure environment.
Focused on Jenkins 2, this book helps readers evolve their deployment pipelines using the features of the newer Jenkins versions, including Pipeline as Code. It provides practical guidance for migrating existing jobs and implementing best practices for automation with Jenkins. It's a relevant resource for those working with or upgrading to Jenkins 2.
While not solely focused on build pipelines, this book from Google provides deep insights into running reliable production systems, a key outcome of effective CI/CD pipelines. It covers practices like monitoring, incident response, and-postmortems, which are crucial for maintaining the health and stability of systems deployed via build pipelines. It offers valuable perspectives for those looking to understand the operational impact of their pipelines.
Automated testing critical part of any effective build pipeline. offers practical advice and strategies for building robust and reliable test automation systems. It addresses common challenges and provides guidance on creating a sustainable automation approach, which is essential for ensuring the quality of software delivered through pipelines.
This comprehensive guide provides a practical introduction to the entire machine learning pipeline, covering topics such as data preparation, model selection, and pipeline deployment.
Focuses on the challenges and strategies for adopting DevOps, including implementing build pipelines, within large, complex enterprise environments. It provides practical guidance and insights specifically tailored for organizations with varying levels of IT maturity. It's particularly useful for understanding how to scale DevOps practices and build pipelines in a large corporate setting.
A follow-up to 'The Phoenix Project,' this novel explores similar themes from the perspective of a developer. It delves into the five ideals of DevOps, providing further context on how development practices and culture impact the ability to deliver value, which is directly related to the efficiency and effectiveness of build pipelines. It's a good companion read for a broader understanding of the development side of the pipeline.
Shares lessons learned from implementing agile and DevOps principles in large organizations. It provides a leadership perspective on driving transformation, which includes the successful adoption and scaling of continuous delivery pipelines. It's a valuable read for leaders and managers involved in guiding their organizations towards more efficient software delivery.
This practical guide focuses on building end-to-end machine learning pipelines using common tools and techniques, providing step-by-step instructions and real-world examples.
Infrastructure as Code (IaC) key enabler for automating the deployment environment within build pipelines. provides an introduction and guide to implementing IaC practices. Understanding IaC is crucial for building truly automated and repeatable build and deployment pipelines.
For more information about how these books relate to this course, visit:
OpenCourser.com/topic/9ct50s/build
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