What is CI/CD? Integrating Tests into Development

Remember when releasing a software update was almost an event? The development team would deliver the code, the QA team would spend weeks testing, and only then would the product go to production. Today, leading companies release updates multiple times a day. What changed?

The answer lies in CI/CD, an approach that transformed how we develop and deliver software. At the center of this transformation is something fundamental: automated tests integrated into the development process.

What is CI/CD in practice

CI/CD is the combination of two complementary practices: Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery/Deployment. Together, they form an automated pipeline that takes code from development to production quickly and safely.

Continuous Integration (CI) is the practice of integrating code into the main repository frequently, multiple times a day. Each time a developer commits a change, the system automatically:

Compiles the code Runs automated tests Validates integration with existing code Reports problems immediately

The idea is, instead of accumulating weeks of changes and trying to integrate them all at once (which usually results in conflicts and bugs that are hard to track), you integrate small changes constantly. Problems appear quickly and are easier to fix.

Continuous Delivery and Deployment (CD) take the next step. Continuous Delivery means that code validated by CI is always ready to go to production. Continuous Deployment goes further, as it also automates deployment to production, without the need for manual approval.

The difference is that with Continuous Delivery, you have a button to deploy whenever you want. With Continuous Deployment, that button is pressed automatically as soon as the code passes all tests.

How a CI/CD pipeline works

A typical CI/CD pipeline follows a logical sequence:

• Commit: the developer finishes a feature and sends the code to the repository.

• Build: the system detects the change and compiles the code automatically.

• Tests: this is where the magic happens. The code goes through multiple layers of automated tests: unit, integration, end-to-end, performance, and security.

• Deploy: if all tests pass, the code is automatically sent to staging or production environment.

Popular tools like Jenkins, GitLab CI, GitHub Actions, and CircleCI orchestrate this flow. Each has its particularities, and many companies end up using more than one. According to a 2025 JetBrains survey, 32% of organizations use two different CI/CD tools, and 9% use three or more (The State of CI/CD in 2025). 

Why automated tests are essential in CI/CD

CI/CD without robust tests is just fast bug deployment. Speed only makes sense when accompanied by quality.

Tests in the pipeline typically include:

• Unit tests: validate individual functions and methods. They’re fast and should cover most of the code. 
• Integration tests: ensure different modules work well together. 
• End-to-end tests: simulate complete journeys of real users. 
• Performance tests: verify if the system can handle the expected load. 
• Security tests: identify vulnerabilities before they reach production.

According to data compiled by Hutte.io, automated tests reduce bug detection time by an average of 45% (DevOps Statistics). Additionally, organizations that adopted CI/CD report a 50% reduction in software delivery costs.

The risk of a pipeline without good test coverage? You gain speed, lose quality, and ultimately are just delivering problems faster to your users.

How TestBooster.ai facilitates test integration in CI/CD

It’s exactly in these challenges that TestBooster.ai positions itself as more than just another testing tool.

Test creation gains agility with natural language. Want to validate that the password recovery flow works? Describe it as if you were explaining to someone what should be tested. The AI translates this into a complete automated test, allowing product managers, developers, and QAs to create tests without deep technical knowledge. An e-commerce, for example, can schedule checkout flow tests to run every early morning after each deploy, ensuring payment doesn’t fail when customers wake up.

With the goal-based testing approach, you focus on what needs to work, not the exact steps. Changed the “age” field to “date of birth”? The test understands the context and continues validating the flow, reducing maintenance and increasing reliability. Additionally, dashboards translate quality into impact, showing not just which tests failed, but how this affects critical business processes, a language that both QAs and managers understand.

Integration is native with Jenkins, GitLab CI, GitHub Actions, and other tools you already use. TestBooster.ai fits into your existing pipeline without requiring restructuring.

Best practices for tests in CI/CD

• Keep tests fast and reliable: separate tests by speed. Faster unit and integration tests run with each commit. Slower end-to-end tests can run on scheduled times or before important releases.
• Prioritize critical tests in the main pipeline: you don’t need to run all tests on every commit. Identify critical journeys, login, checkout, registration, and ensure they always pass. Less critical tests can run in parallel or in the background.
• Monitor quality metrics continuously: track test approval rate, average execution time, code coverage. These metrics help identify when the pipeline is getting slow or when quality is dropping.
• Create efficient feedback loops between teams: when a test fails, the developer needs to know immediately. Notifications keep everyone aligned.

Data shows that about 14% of companies aim to completely eliminate manual testing, aligning with DevOps goals of maximizing automation for continuous delivery and integration (QA Statistics for DevOps).

Speed with security

The CI/CD tools market is growing rapidly. According to Grand View Research, the global Continuous Delivery market was valued at $3.67 billion in 2023 and is expected to reach $12.25 billion by 2030, growing at an annual rate of 19.2% (Continuous Delivery Market Report). This growth reflects the increasing demand for faster development cycles.

CI/CD transformed how we deliver software. Combined with robust automated tests, it’s no longer just about speed and becomes about delivering value consistently and reliably.

Quality doesn’t need to be a bottleneck in the process. With the right tools and well-structured processes, it becomes a natural part of the development flow. And when that happens, quality stops being just a technical requirement and becomes a competitive advantage.

TestBooster.ai was built exactly for this scenario: to centralize, simplify, and enhance your tests within the CI/CD pipeline. A platform that connects people, processes, and technologies around quality.

Want to see how it works in practice? Talk to our team of experts.