Today TechTalk will introduce you to 5 fairly popular CI tools and a lot of software development community.
In continuous integration, every time a developer consolidates its code changes into the repository, a series of tests is triggered. This helps them identify errors immediately. When a commit has no errors, the CI will deliver that commit. Typically, this process requires manual intervention. But with CI / CD tools, the entire process can be automated until the release step. Each new code consolidation is automatically checked and these commits are pushed for deployment or release to the customer.
So which CD / CI tool is best?
It's hard to decide because there are so many options out there, a Google search for 'CI / CD' gives half a billion results! @. @
We have done research on many documents and practices from other companies, we finally selected and compiled a list of 5 continuous integration tools (CI) and continuous distribution (CD). top row (in no particular order ):
- Jenkins
- TeamCity
- GitLab CI / CD
- CircleCI
- Travis CI
- Drone CI (Special Mention)
Below is a quick comparison of the most important features in each CI tool so you can get an overview before going to learn more about the word tool and use it for your project in a reasonable way and most effective:
Jenkins is the oldest player in the industry and holds a 71% market share . With over 1 million users, the community support for this tool is great. What's even more amazing is that today there are more than 1400 plugins that can serve almost any need for Continuous Integration (CI) / Continuous Distribution (CD). And if you can't find a plugin that's right for you, you can create one yourself and share it with the community.
Jenkins is best suited if:
- Your code is stored in a private server (hosted in-house).
- You want full control over your CI / CD environment
- You require an on-premises server
- You need a highly customizable workflow
- You can appoint a dedicated person / group to manage and maintain Jenkins
- You need a money-saving solution
TeamCity is considered to be the best replacement for Jenkins. It is secure and offers extremely stable plugins. It also has handy integration with xUnit and other code overlay tools. Like Jenkins, this tool is often used for Java and .NET projects.
TeamCity is the tool for you if:
- You need a solution that works without the hassle of maintenance as this can be used on a private server
- You cannot assign a dedicated person / team to manage the Continuous Integration (CI) / Continuous Distribution (CD) tool
- You require quick customer support
- Your projects are built on .NET
- You have many projects with similar profiles, each project progressing differently
GitLab CI / CD is an inbuilt tool that every GitLab user can use. It allows you to host some GitLab features on servers and allocate labels to them. This gives you a range of servers where you can build and allocate to any server on demand. This allows for large-scale expansion opportunities that tools like Jenkins do not provide.
GitLab CI / CD is your best bet if:
- Your code is stored in GitLab
- You want to outsource DevOps
- You don't want the hassle of setting up and configuring an entirely new tool
- You will benefit from a stable feature release rate
- You need an integrated Docker subscription
- You do not need the plugin
CircleCI prides itself on strong storage capabilities and highly customizable workflows. This tool is easy to set up and run. It can even be configured to send results directly to the Slack channel.
CircleCI should be your choice of CI / CD tool if:
- You need existing support and parallel development
- Your code is hosted on GitHub or Bitbucket
- You work on Linux or MacOS
- Your team consists of many developers using the same Continuous integration (CI) / Continuous delivery (CD)
- You prioritize speed over everything else (Build fast, …)
- You need common processes and highly customizable workflows
Travis CI is quick and simple to set up. It integrates perfectly with GitHub. This tool is different from CircleCI in that it allows you to test on Mac and Linux operating systems at the same time.
Travis CI is the perfect fit for you if:
- Your code is hosted on GitHub
- You need to support many different languages
- You are not using Windows
- You need a flexible solution
- You need pre-installed database servers
- You do not require a lot of third party integration
Final.
Drones are a container-based tool written in Go. This tool is easy to set up and upgrade. It has Autoscaler feature that allows you to automatically increase or decrease as required. Drone CI also supports ARM processor architecture.
Drones are your best option if:
- You require Docker support
- You need a cloud-based tool
- You need an easy upgrade tool
- You request to connect directly with GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket and cloud providers like AWS and GCP
Who will you choose?
When you choose the right CI / CD tool, you can proceed with your DevOps. If done correctly, it will increase your productivity and allow you to deliver with confidence. By analyzing the requirements for you or your team, which is price, complexity, integration, supported platform or anything else, you'll find a tool that addresses all his problem. Yes, it is possible.