What is the difference between build and release? | TeamCity CI/CD Guide (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between build and CI CD? ›

The build process is everything that goes into building the software (getting the source code, compiling it, packaging it, automated tests etc...). CI is the triggering of a build on commit. A "daily build" is a time trigger for the build.

In the context of software development, a build is a version of the software that has been compiled and is ready for testing or deployment. A release, on the other hand, is a version of the software that has been formally distributed to users.

A Build Pipeline is used to generate Artifacts out of Source Code. A Release Pipeline consumes the Artifacts and conducts follow-up actions within a multi-staging system. It is best practice to establish a link between a Build Pipeline and the corresponding Release Pipeline.

Similarly, in software development, build numbers are like version numbers for each build of the application. Release Tags are like labels you use to mark each significant version or release of the application.

Automated builds play a central role in continuous integration (CI) automation and are a key enabler of a CI/CD pipeline. They form the first in a series of automated steps designed to alert you as early as possible to any issues in your code caused by your latest changes.

CI can be considered as the first stage in producing and delivering code, and CD as the second. CI focuses on preparing code for release (build/test), whereas CD involves the actual release of code (release/deploy).

Build release management, also known as build and release management or build management, is the process of managing the creation, testing, and distribution of software builds and releases. It involves coordinating the activities involved in creating a build, testing the build, and releasing it to users.

A “build” is given by dev team to the test team. A “release” is formal release of the product to its customers. A build when tested and certified by the test team is given to the customers as “release”. A “build” can be rejected by test team if any of the tests fail or it does not meet certain requirements.

A build and release engineer is a computer software professional who works in a team of developers, system operators, and project managers to meet software engineering build and release requirements. They ensure applications work as expected by testing and improving them.

CD: It ensures that your software is automatically deployed to different stages. Deployment Actions: You define tasks related to deploying, configuring, and managing your application. Multi-Staging System: The Release Pipeline manages the flow of artifacts across different environments.

What is the difference between build release and publish? ›

Differences Between Build and Publish

The build process compiles the source code and generates the output in a bin folder. Then, the publish process retrieves this information from the bin folder and packages it into the executable, ready to be sent to the destination folder or target location.

In Agile and DevOps methodologies, deployment and release work together to enable rapid, iterative delivery of software. The deployment phase focuses on the continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD) of code, while the release phase manages the controlled and coordinated delivery of new features to end-users.

The fundamental difference between "Build" and "Release."

A build is an application that has been created for the customers and is given by the developer to the software testers. The release is an official launch of the application for the customers.

The build process looks through the configuration files in your repository and assembles the necessary containers. The deploy process makes those containers live, replacing any previous versions, with minimal interruption in service. Hooks are points in the build and deploy process where you can inject a custom script.

The difference is the compiler settings. Release is much more optimized, resulting in faster and smaller code, but is harder to debug since some source code statements may be removed/rearranged. Variables may be optimized out entirely.

A CI server (or build server) plays a key role in implementing and managing the whole process. It serves as the glue that brings all the stages of the pipeline together by applying your business logic to coordinate automated tasks and collating and publishing feedback.

A pipeline is a process that drives software development through a path of building, testing, and deploying code, also known as CI/CD. By automating the process, the objective is to minimize human error and maintain a consistent process for how software is released.

CI/CD, which stands for continuous integration and continuous delivery/deployment, aims to streamline and accelerate the software development lifecycle. Continuous integration (CI) refers to the practice of automatically and frequently integrating code changes into a shared source code repository.

Integration with CI/CD Pipelines: AWS CodeBuild integrates seamlessly with other AWS services like AWS CodePipeline, offering a complete CI/CD pipeline solution. Jenkins, being a standalone tool, requires additional configuration and setup to integrate with various CI/CD tools and services.