Software Architect's Handbook

Automated builds

Two of the key aspects of continuous integration is to build all commits and to have a build process that is automated. A build converts source code, files, and other assets into a software project that is in its final, usable form. This may include things such as the following:

• Dependency checking
• Compiling source files
• Packaging compiled files into a compressed format (for example, JAR or ZIP)
• Creating installers
• Creating/updating database schema
• Executing data change scripts to modify data in a database
• Running automated tests

As a software architect, you will want to establish an automated build process if one is not already in place. Some builds require many steps, and performing these manually creates many opportunities ...