ERP customisations are often deployed by copying files to the server and hoping for the best. Continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD) replaces that with a repeatable, tested process.
A simple pipeline
- Developer pushes code to Git (GitHub, GitLab or Bitbucket).
- Automated checks run: linting, unit tests, module installation tests.
- Changes deploy automatically to a staging environment with a copy of production data.
- Key users test and approve.
- One-click or scheduled deployment to production, with backup first.
Benefits
| Before | After |
|---|---|
| Manual, error-prone deployments | Repeatable, scripted releases |
| Bugs found by users | Bugs caught in automated tests and staging |
| Fear of updating | Small, frequent, low-risk releases |
| No history | Every change traceable in Git |